Would it be between the seller and I or the Buyer and I or "All of the Above"

One of the highest property taxes in the country, Try KC or Al - very low property taxes :)

Part of our reasoning is sometime down the road we may want to sell some or all of these homes and so resell ability is an important factor.

I usually see 10% of rents plus either half or all of the first month's rent on new leases.

The difference is that they are conventional lending products and do not follow a FHA appraisal is sometimes or all of the of the time scrutinized.

Have the seller hold some or all of the note to get into the property and chances are the other issues will not factor in.

It sounds like the owner next door just has inadequate secure fencing to hold in that type of large animal.

And check with their prior landlord (NOT current) to get their input regarding whether or not they would rent to the tenant again.You might want to look into buying a duplex and live in half of it when you are in town, and rent out the other half year round, letting them make or portion (or all) of your mortgage payment :)

If a bank does a loan in the name of an LLC, it would require personal guarantees of most or all of the LLC members.

Or if you can build a close relationship to a realtor maybe you can convince them to put up part or all of that $5000 in the form of their commission.