Personally, I think protection is always a good thing, but it could create some difficulties when it comes to financing, depending upon the institution.3:What kind of engineer are you?

I would nip this in the bud immediately.My response would be something like "I'm sorry you had difficulty moving in. 

Purchasing tools, such as an email domain, proves you have skin in the game.

Going out of state comes with its own difficulties, but it can be done with some good prep.

My skin is crawling.

Being a landlord mean being thick skinned, being able to be objective, and to some degree having to be 'the bad guy" sometimes - not everyone is comfortable taking on these roles - best of luck to you - I'm looking forward to seeing how all of this turns out. 

There are more than a few ways to skin a cat, but to some extent the market will tell you what the optimal strategy is, if you just know how to listen.

I say ok, I think I can come up with say 10K to get "skin in the game" which should cover the 4 points easily on the type of deal I am looking at.

Understand that it takes capital like three or four months rent to have success with each sandwich lease property so if you don't have the money to protect the seller in case the tenant doesn't pay you, don't do sandwiches Also a word about Credit being tight and the tenant buyer having difficulty getting a mortgageDon't put anybody in that property just because They have an option fee. 

My advice is to pass on this one if:-You are not 100% comfortable of the numbers independent of his-You do not have an understanding of your agreement together and his obligations are spelled out-Your agent has more skin in the game other than commissionsYou can always pass on this accepted bid and re bid when the property comes back on to give you more time to gather information.