Would you have any recommendations, in your experience, for what to look out for in the documents that would be red flags or items that would negotiable?

Funny story: my son the rock climber was in the Seattle area a few years ago when they had a massive snow storm with more on the way.

Legitimate lenders may charge a small application fee (around $250) to verify you’re serious, but if someone’s asking for thousands with no real intention of closing, that’s a huge red flag.On a more positive note, there are creative financing approaches out there.

The only slight red flag was that they only accepted payment via Venmo or wire transfer, but that's how I accepted payment when I was selling lead bundles, so I still thought it was worth a shot.

And are there any big red flags that make you walk away from a deal right away?

Knowingly buying into the red just because of financing terms is a very unhealthy way to invest.

Then clear a pool below a spring and rock formation. 

It will happen in red AND blue states.Why?

We've only had one resident fail to pay rent, and it was someone who had all the usual red flags, but she also had a sick kid. 

Great question Todd, first red flag is asking for full payment upfront.