Hello, Why don’t more people buy through companies like REI and rent to retire? I’m looking for passive income anyway so I’ll already be paying a management fee. REI takes the first months rent, but still - what am I ...

page=2You’ve placed yourself at a vulnerable disadvantage since it appears you live in Israel yet want to borrow in the US.

I am not a builder so I have that disadvantage but I am familiar with many of the pieces that go into a home.  

Hi @Allie Dickson, correct there are some disadvantages right now.  

By doing this you may put yourself at a disadvantage compared to other rentals in your area. 

Advantages or disadvantages?   

However, there are disadvantages as well.  

As long as you are polite about how you say this, there shouldn't be a risk of insulting the landlord.I'd recommend keeping in mind the landlord doesn't have as much of an incentive to sell as they already have an outstanding tenant in place in addition to the craziest of the current seller's market, so they will probably factor that in their decision on whether to drop the price more or not, and I have a feeling they are also pricing in their decision that your demand for the property is a bit higher then the general public's demand for the property which could seriously put you at a disadvantage in negotiating with this specific property. 

The one disadvantage is that if you are renting by the room you really can't count that as income to help you qualify in the same way that you can in a 2-4 unit with rents. 

On that note, my Fiance was putting in offers in Pcola for another place and even though we had a super strong over asking price offer they went with someone else due to the worry that the appraisal would come in low (For VA you can't buy a property if the appraisal is below your offer, conventional you can just bring that extra cash to the closing table if you want but VA wont allow it, so you're kind of at a disadvantage now if you plan on going VA).