My issue is, my monthly income is only about half my total income (the other half is split amongst quarterly bonuses.

I took them just to get in, the very next quarter I got the whole dang county.

I think it is a wise idea to get a traditional mortgage before rates increase as they are projected to in the first quarter of 2014.

If we refinish the floors we replace the quarter rounds.

But lots of companies do use the higher-rent-for-shorter-term strategy.I'd add a fourth option - terminate the lease at the end of July.

Fourth- residential rental.

Additional earnest money could be made say as $5,000 quarterly (initially 5 at the contract plus 4 more payments gives them 10% down....roughly).Payments are "paid out of closing" credited to the purchase price and non-refundable paid to you.To give the buyer a warm fuzzy feeling, give them the "first right of refusal" in the sale contract over the contract term.You can also put in the sale contract that it will be extended as necessary for lending requirements, say no more than 60 days, this gives them one year plus to ensure funds to close as any lending requirement to be met so long as they have a commitment.You need to tell your lender that you will be leasing the property as they will be getting a new policy from the agent.

When looking for a duplex, don't forget to consider the possibility of 2 homes on 1 lot...some good keywords would be things like 'granny flat' or 'in-laws quarters'.

In addition, I tend to do things like install quarter-turn shutoffs on all the water lines, make sure smoke detectors are installed, all lights are working etc.

Add 31.25 for every quarter percent you get above 2%.