Concerns: Adding 5 years to our life goals.Rising Interest Rates.Less upside in a single family these days.Pulling back considerably on a comfortable lifestyle to make big mortgage payments.Thanks in advance, BP. 

The lifestyle of being equity rich vs cash rich is completely different.

They are making a conscious decision to not work with an agent.

A few months later, an out-of-state bank wanted in on the market and offered a special "lifestyle loan" program to those with a solid income who could afford the monthly payments (it ignored debt-to-income ratios).

If you have several properties, as in my case,  the positive cash flow ones carry the negative cash flow ones, so it all works out in the end, and 5 to 10 years can create a lifestyle of pure freedom. 

Or if you've done a lot of painting and see that someone's got paint on their shoes, you could use that as an opening, etc.It also helps to have a few "canned" conversation items like "how long have you been coming here", "do you own any properties (and of so, tell me about them)", "what did you think of the main speaker" etc.Yeah, they're all gimmicks in a sense, but I think most people do it, consciously or unconsciously, because I think it makes most people feel more comfortable psychologically when they find some common ground to start talking with.Those are just some thoughts.

My mentor once told me, "the knowledge is not the barrier, consciously applying what you learn is."

@Alec Weissgerber It really depends on a lot of things: age, income/career, investment horizon, skill set, lifestyle goals, interest level and qualifications in starting an REI business, what form the inheritance is in currently (unlikely that it’s sitting in cash), etc. etc. etc... she should have a certified financial planner look at the whole picture and offer sound advice.

Cash flow in the short term would be nice and allow us to live a little better life style theoretically but in all actuality I’d probably stash the cash to buy more properties.

I live in a large Amish Community in Southern Indiana with several different things to offer but just not sure if I should only promote a place for people to stay or widen the choices to include tours and actual time they (Tourists) could spend at Amish Farmsteads which would include learning all aspects of the Amish Lifestyle.