Underestimate the costs and come up short needing the funds?

I wouldn't get it tangled up with the operations/financials of the property.

A few years ago prices were going up 9%, and now we have settled ~ 3% price growth.

North of Patterson Park, the first block is OK, but then gets worse each subsequent block up.

Us: We want to buy the property, fix up the (3) apartments not occupied by her parents to generate rental income.QuestionsMy thoughts are to work out a deal where we purchase the property from her parents without taking a loan from bank.

Their businesses have a lot of names, hard to keep up.

In FL PS only provides about 37% of the leads/oppertunities going through the county records offices (I have  study I have done comparing the 2 to back this up if you want me to post it/send it) recorder offices Florida and Hilsborough are obviously competitive but if your getting information before everyone else and using it fast in the market where it matters its not so competititve.If your leads are for say absentee owner, tired  landlord then you want the owner to have had the property for longer to hopefully increase motivation.

I can do financial modeling with you and talk to other new build investors it's a slow growth plan. build directly at 25% below the market and also identify land too. increase unit counts and get better economies of scale. single family homes will never perform like a three story walk up apartment. we build a stacked triplex in Columbus Ohio with a picture below, if you are set on Dallas look at land prices and see if the economics help. 

You never know what opportunities are going to come your way by going to your local real estate meet up.

She doesn't want him to leave because he helps to take care of everything that his son never would, like picking the kids up from school, fixing things around the house, mowing the yard, and taking out the trash.