From the sound of it you and your mom are nice people and the PMs are likely trying to milk extra money out of you. 

Waiting for the "bank to buy you out" makes you sound like a professional tenant, i.e. a person who milks the system such to get money or benefits from someone/someplace else for free.

Go where the money IS...not the guru land of milk and honey. 

You want a diversification of assets.... a few vegetables, beer, meat, snacks, water, milk, etc....Frank

If I get some milk and cookies from someone and I drink some milk and then eat a cookie and then I pass the rest to you and you won't ever get the same amount I had.

My expenses go up every year, milk goes up every year, gas goes up, taxes go up and on and on.

I'll go ahead and drink un-homogenized and un-pasteurized milk from a local herd, and you will likely continue to buy yours at the store in a plastic jug.

(Exodus 21:7) Or it being a sin to boil a baby goat in it's mother's milk?

Yes I do criminal and background check for 25 and make the tenant pay for it upfront.If they are hiding something I will know it.If you do not do the checks you might get lucky for one tenant but not another and get burned.Professional tenants look for landlords that do not follow proper screening and then they LIE and put on a good front.Then when they get in there they run their game and pay one months rent and then milk a few months free and then move and do it again.

Mr Money mustache has a really good article over this topic, if you search it in good my money mustache hvac yourself, it lays it out and it does not look too difficult if you are somewhat mechanically inclined.