All else being equal, lower mortgage rates reduce the cost of ownership and, thereby, allow more people to afford to buy.

The Retainer Fee is credited towards whatever they buy from us in the 90 days, so in effect, costs them nothing.Note: we're not doing this to make money, but to avoid the time-wasters.

- The percentage difference is the percentage the taxes will go up after you buy it.What do you mean by the property has HVAC AND boilers? 

He and I created an LLC for NC a few years ago when we were thinking of buying a rental property there.

You can get started with rent to own/lease option or another creative strategy like buying subject to. 

My previous renters were relocations - either had sold their home and looking to buy another (low inventory so takes a while to find a home to buy) or moving here from another city and didn't know yet what neighborhood they want to be in, or alse building a home and need a place to live until it's completed.

Given that I'm not positioned to buy just yet, and simply running the numbers, is there a rule of thumb for estimating insurance costs that would make sense in Cook County?

Investment Info:Small multi-family (2-4 units) buy & hold investment.

Quote from @Donald Hatter: Investment Info:Single-family residence buy & hold investment.

He’s only 55, he can enjoy his retirement, golf, etc for a few years and buy back in when he sees a good opportunity.