If you have a process, you are ahead of the game. 

Do you come out ahead at all?

The days of rushing out to meet any old random lead at a property and opening the door without a buyers agency agreement or verifying their identity first are coming to an end.

This lien is a superpriority lien, so it sits ahead of all mortgages and nearly all other liens (liens held by the US Government are a notable exception).

If the tenant does show and there is an actual trial set, go to the court ahead of time and watch the process.

Your closing costs usually include Title insurance, possibly lenders title insurance if your HML requires it, you'll pay their points/origination fee, prorated interest for the month possibly appraisal fees or other fees your specific HML require and sometimes the appraisal is paid out of pocket ahead of time. 

Don't get into the whole story when you call these places just tell them you're a new homeowner, the last owner didn't keep good records and you're putting together a binder of service records for the home so you can get ahead on maintenance.

I just talked to my wife and she gave me the green light to go ahead lol :).

Save for Your First InvestmentCommon Pitfalls to Avoid:Don't rush into deals without proper due diligence.Avoid over-leveraging or taking on too much debt.Be cautious of "get rich quick" schemes; successful real estate investing takes time.Don't neglect legal and regulatory considerations.Remember, everyone's journey is unique, and there's no one-size-fits-all approach.

Quote from @Bruce Woodruff: Quote from @April VanCleve: I know this may leave a bitter taste, but I have found a lot of fast, concise, well put together answers to most of my questions on Chat GPT/Open AI.......What I see quite a bit when talking to people seeking advice is the rush to success - "I want 10 doors in 2 years", "I want to retire from my W2 job by age 40", Etc..............That, and:1 -  they have no plan of how to get there2 -  they have no idea of how long it will take to get there based on having no idea of each step along the way,...which means they have no plan on how to get there (I said that already.