When any calculator or spreadsheet is oriented toward only one outcome (rental for instance) you have what is called "confirmation bias".

Americans and Canadians can borrow at much lower interest rates by going overseas in some instances.

Lenders that offer loans for foreign national buyers have access to financing up to 80% in some instances. 

@Greg Scott I'm not sure what you've been looking at abroad but, especially today, investing overseas is in many instances much more profitable and less risky than in the US, where you also run all the risks that you mentioned.If the profitability and the risks would be similar, it could be argued that it's better/easier to invest in your own backyard so I totally understand where you're coming from.

They have provided us with actual data quantifying how much a certain amenity adds to your short-term rental revenues.I tell all my STR investors/second-home buyers in Colorado to get a hot tub, for instance, but while I know you do better, it's been hard to put numbers to it.AirDNA's March report has tried to tell us how much more revenue a home with X amenity gets over a home without X amenity.

For instance in Arkansas and in a lot of states, if you make a claim as a third party on behalf of a "client" ie the owner of the surplus, the state may limit you to a finders fee of only 10%.

What I mean by that is for instance in a place like Newport Beach California where houses cost millions to buy there may be apartments available for 2000 a month, which is way less than the per square foot of a purchase.

I think you're saying you'd like to make a deal with the buyer to purchase the property, however, because they don't have title, it's not the buyer's property to sell.In that instance, what you could do is offer a four-year lease during which time you make payments that would cover their payments to the owner, and an option to purchase.

There maybe instances where you might do this for a short term, say allowing the buyer to file the next tax return to qualify.

For this instance, I already have a property in mind, I just need to know how to go about seeing if their loan is assumable or not.