Here is what the IRS has to say about it: Direct from Publication 225 "Farmer's Tax Guide"Crop Insurance and Crop Disaster PaymentsYou must include in income any crop insurance proceeds you receive as the result of crop damage.

Yeah the situation is one corner of the back of the property has a depression on the cement where it meets the house and as a result this corner falls 4 inches below the base flood elevation, requiring Flood insurance to the tune of about 2,500 a year.

Im having a hard time finding something that matches all the investment rules and still returns 15% of my money.

I'd be stunned if you could find a private lender who could match the terms currently available from banks.

It just was the best result.

If it's your deal, try to get it low enough to meet your buyers criteria and make your spread while leaving meat on the bone (hint: what buyers say doesn't necessarily match their actions).

Sure I travel around some random spot looking at homes I guess could match their criteria.

And, for many people, its a form of forced savings that, assuming they don't keep moving and don't extract the cash with refi's or HELOCs, can result in owning a large asset later in life.

The wife and I know the end results we want.

Painting darker could cause too much heat to be absorbed resulting in buckling of the aluminum.