It can give protections to the property owner in the future and workout leverage with a lender to restructure the loan and terms to help a struggling property.  

I've had the plan that someday when my full-time job of 12 years finally re-structures (as they have every couple years) and I finally get caught up in getting laid off, I will know my direction and intelligent use of severance. 

Also, the best part, you can always refinance when they go back down along with restructuring your terms.

I would love to hear any paths  fellow investors/ brokers  have taken, or recommendationsPerhaps I am needing to restructure the way I inform the brokerage firm that this is what I  intend to do so it is viewed less as a  verification and instead a statement.   

Pay down your mortgage....inquire about a loan restructure or refinance if you can get a lower interest rate.

Both are fully empty.Both need some work before renting out, nothing big it appears right now, but definitely paint/floor work and some restructuring of how the units fit together.Should we offer individually or attempt to get them in a package deal?

Get tight with your lender a tax year or two out if there's any possibility that you will be looking to purchase additional properties within the next two years, prior to restructuring what your income will look like on your tax returns.

Contract For Deeds are not an option in Missouri or anywhere really unless you restructure the quit claim escrow as your default agreement, not saying they may not be done some places, but everywhere they can have issues in circumventing foreclosure laws if there has been equity established.Search L/O as there are draw backs, in St.

I'm buying a 4-plex that apparently was owned by an LLC that is undergoing restructuring.  

You have to know where the file is at with the bank.Is it in the foreclosure department,short sale department,customer service,collections,or loss mitigation.If the loan is owned by a small bank they tend to do workouts differently than the large ones.Options will depend on if it is Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac backed or it's a conventional loan.The process of lease optioning back to him is not allowed anymore and these are strategies investors use to use along with assignments and other things.The banks after short sales have grown in the last few years have systematized everything instead of flying by the seat of their pants on each file which is how we did them 3 to 5 years ago.It used to be a person in the loss mit department that would handle all the short sale files as the others didn't really know how to do them.As files grew the banks started up whole departments and hired file originators who were laid off from the loan origination side and moved to the loan default side.The banks have riders on all these types of strategies now where you would be committing fraud if you employed them.Once they enact a rule with addendums you have to find a new way to do deals and change strategies.If this person has recovered then their best best is to go after a loan modification especially if they want to hold onto the property.I am seeing permanent loan mods where the lender will put back payments into the loan.ExampleLoan is 140,000With back payments,penalties,interest,attorneys fees etc. now 150,000 is owed.Interest rate was 5% but now has adjusted to 8%They will adjust rate down to 2% for first 3 years,then 3% for 3 years, and so on and when they hit 5% keep that rate for the remainder of the new structures loan.The borrower might have to bring a few K to pay reinstatement fees and as not all back escrows and payments can be put into the new loan amount.The lender would rather do this than foreclose and take a big loss.The 3 month trial plans are easy to qualify for but the permanent restructures I mentioned are harder to get approved.If they deny the borrower for the first loan mod then they can ask for another.Many servicers can offer 2 to 3 different types of loan mod plans depending on the situation.Why would a servicer do this??