I personally operated my portfolio out of necessity and spent the pre-requisite 10,000 hours to learn how to PROFITABLY walk the tight rope.

Do you feel it is a necessity that all renters obtain renters insurance?

I have one, but I also don't think its a necessity.

At other times, decisions were being made out of necessity by those who had neither the authority or the background to do so.

Decide what is a necessity and what is a want.

Being that you are wanting to move into the next place, I would recommend taking advantage of this low down payment option and this would remove necessity of creative financing.

I posted something about DF last night and was kind of wondering where that left regular homeowners that offer seller financing out of necessity to sell a house.

That said, if the subject property needs a new roof, that is a necessity and not a “finish item” and while it does not necessarily add value to the eyes of a buyer, it is expected to be in good working order and not at the end of its life cycle so those decisions are easy.To reface or replace kitchen cabinets is an example of where you are having trouble and like I said, what your competition has should guide you the most.

I got started out of necessity.  

However, you should also mention that in Austin it's pretty much a necessity to pay $40-$100k in cash when you buy, even for a primary residence with a 5% down payment.