I was talking to a RE friend.He said it's a bad time to buy* rates are high* homes are expensive in most marketsLooking to hear some counterpoints. 

This also allows for property owners to more easily write-off assets that get damaged/destroyed as the value of these assets is determined as part of the study.

I have not paid retail for RE in many years and would not in my high cost market (average SFH is ~$1m).  

In 30 years the balloon payment is due to the seller and that's when the taxes are due.Coupling a monetization loan to an installment sale accomplishes the same thing but puts cash in the sellers hands that can be re-invested.

Fees should be clearly stated in writing, easy to understand, and justifiable.

If you ask them to write an offer, don't disappear for weeks at a time after you make the offer. 

What the customer "expects" and what you are getting paid to do should be in writing .

@Mark HafnerI've been investing internationally for many years but it's very difficult to answer the kind of questions you ask without writing a dissertation so I'd encourage you to ask more precise questions in the forum.

Hi Ursula,Even though this post is a few months old, I thought I’d chime in just in case you’re still working through this or for future projects.

AS Mike stated its a very cash intensive business.So to me scaling a business in RE does not necessarily mean you own ANY real estate.