I agree that is will be a gamble as to how well it will do.Also, ask the owner if they will entertain partial owner financing to keep from dragging family and friends into this risky business venture.Maybe even rent from owner for a year with right to sublease to see how it goes before committing to a purchase.

No one has ever even requested to see the bill but I have it there so they can feel better. 

But if I put the money into buying a house, with the leverage of a mortgage loan, I can still earn about 11% annually on my investment on the appreciation, even though there is no cash received for the rent.

Sometimes even calling them as soon as I saw the inquiry.

Even if it's cleaning rooms, get a feel for the operations.

Even if a score doesn't include a history of everything, if it has enough data it should be useful.

What you’re counting on is even a slow rate of appreciation, say equal to barely inflation, called it 2-3% being multiplied by 4 or 5X because you only put down 20-25%.

I know that's not a huge cash flow, and any repairs could make me break even.

Here is some key information:Property recently hit the market and has 2 cash offers alreadyThe seller provided a pre-inspection report, which I shared with 2 different lenders, both think it may fail conventional financing due to potential structural and electrical issues (realtor thinks it could pass conventional)Seller has 100% equity but is behind on other payments (not sure of the urgency money is needed)This is my first attempt at an “investment” property so I’m new to thisI see 3 optionsMove forward with an offer using conventional loan pre-qualification-Not as attractive of an offer to the seller-Possibility that appraiser calls out structural/electrical issues that need to be fixed before closing, effectively causing financing to fail- Best terms and fewest loan fees for meUse a rehab style loan such as ChoiceRenovation-Even less attractive than a conventional offer to seller, but less risk of failed financing if appraiser calls out issues-Slightly worse fees and interest rates compared to conventional-Lenders tell me possibly up to 60-90 days closing in some cases, with red-tape for contractor requirements and draw schedules (sounds like the most hoops to jump through during rehab)Use a hard money lender-Most attractive loan option I can give to seller so I can compete-Much higher fees and interest rate for me-need to refinance into a conventional at the end of rehab (not familiar with seasoning periods but I think this is a factor as well)Which option would you do?

In my experience, the good ones are expensive, typically require a subscription, and sometimes they even do a physical inspection of your premises to verify it is a legitimate person / business in US.