Talk to a lender or read some online material to learn how to do it quickly and wisely.

And it needs to be in your area if you're going for material participation.

The previous owner was handyman to the property(as I will also be) so I would think maint# is likely Material only.

IE - they're stringing you along to get exposure to deal flow, and they're not making any tangible or material commitments to being your financial partner, unless it's an absolutely incredible deal that they cannot afford to miss out on.

I recommend building your elevator pitch (30 seconds or less), your uber presentation (five minutes), and your listing presentation (up to 30 minutes with supporting materials).

Lending Provide a copy of the contract to your lender so they have the material terms of the agreement.

If you don't, then I recommend letting them work it out themselves unless they're doing something that will materially affect your rental.

Of course, I'd have the clowns overbuying by quite a bit, and those overbought materials would be what I would be using in my own rehabs.

The irony is that they often end up being very active deals and the cash flow rarely materializes over time. 

Last month, we predicted that the growth in pending listings would slow, and this materialized in May.