It’s standard practice and an essential safeguard for landlords.Trust your instincts and treat this as a non-negotiable policy.

A straightforward way to estimate value is by looking at the price per square foot and using that to calculate your property's worth.In situations like this, it's worth spending a couple of hours yourself to get a solid understanding of the market.

Service disruptions can understandably lead to frustration.From my perspective in the self-directed IRA industry, effective communication and responsiveness during transitions are crucial to maintaining client trust.

It wasn't until the Garn-St.Germain act in 1982 that they started becoming standard.

A VA loan is a good play, but it needs to be considered a residential property, unless someone understands more than me on the commercial side and knows a way to use a VA loan for a commercial property. 

@Chris Morris have ALWAYS seen bad "deals" from rookie wholesalers that really don't understand what they are doing to provide value to the industry.It's getting worse because the real estate market has recovered from the 2010 Crash, yet many are still using tactics & methods developed during this time.Everyone in the industry needs to go back and look at what was being done BEFORE 2010 and start using those methods, updating them with current technology.

I wouldn't recommend a standard buy and hold rental because you'll have to pay both your HELOC and mortgage on the house. 

While I understand you want to buy the house, you are at the mercy of those that your relative sold the property to.  

I understand I can increase liability in each individual landlord policy, but one single umbrella policy is much more cost effective when I have multiple properties.

After you feel confident in understanding real estate as an investment vehicle, decide how you want to begin your investing journey.