One of the roommates was very nice and cooperative.

Cooper, Shellpoint, Carrington, and the list goes on and on and on. 

This level of transparency not only fosters a sense of trust and cooperation between the landlord and the repair service provider, but also enables landlords to budget accordingly and reduces the likelihood of unexpected expenses.

If the tenant will cooperate (he won't), you can also put anitfreeze in the drains.If the lines freeze and are damaged, I strongly suggest replacing them with PEX.Good Luck,Mike

Knowing those numbers in advance may change your mind from buying at all OR changing the conversation to being a short sale, however you need a cooperative realtor to work with you  on a short sale. 

Deed in lieu does require a somewhat cooperative borrower.Depending on the as-is value of the properly, @Olga Levin might get a few grand out of the first lienholder. 

I had also offered $5k in escrow to walk away because the numbers weren't working, but with this info, they will now not cooperate. 

Has anyone successfully completed a deal using her course and contracts? Anyone in Illinios? I want to make sure this is legal in Illinois before I go ahead and start calling sellers. I don't have a real estate lic...

Just group cooperative learning and relationship-building.

Hi Cooper, welcome to the forums!