I get calls like this all the time from renters.....and they always want to fight me that it is a SCAM.   

- but I am beginning to get the impression they are going to fight tooth and nail on getting back into the house once rehabbed.

Much easier than trying to fight it out with Airbnb and get the security deposit that was never taken.

And yes, it is really I who need a do over, because I was the one making most of those decisions at the time and having my wife fight with the tenant (I meant my sister).So this is where we are at.

They will probably want to know about the fire anyways.You might need to file a claim with your insurance agent and let the agents fight it out. 

income, revenue to the state/county, these properties are less likely to be eye sores and can/will help drive up property values for neighbors (catch 22 here)...etc.i live in rural area on Maui and have seen my share of legal and illegal VRs pop up...i don't really have a dog in this fight either way, but would probably like to dabble in this market as well should the rules/laws change...right now the process here on Maui is just too cumbersome (probably that way to make it unattractive) to become a legal VR property.I do wish you luck and ask that you post back with your findings/results for the other Hawaii folks!

All the water wells are on one lower lot and could only drill 4 wells, did not want to do shared water wells as that usually means big big fights around here.

So; if the property worth fighting over?

The reason lenders require you to put 5% down on a primary is because you are more willing to fight for it and it'll be a more important asset to you if times get tough.

At the six month point, do they usually lower the price again, and are you then usually fighting with a flurry of other investors?