As you mention big difference between fraud and a bad investment.

And folks that need to do that dont have the capacity to deal with a loan that has been called and a seller that is madder than a wet hornet if you goof up their credit.Then the other major issue glossed over by everyone is there is a minute amount of sellers that will even entertain these transactions and most of the time your paying a premium for the asset.

I also own some long-term rentals and a short-term rental.

So even though I lost a deal and commission I won loyalty and a client for life and became very valued as an agent and very successful by getting the money that was deserved and obviously, rightfully, morally and legally due to her.  

Purchasing a property for your child while they attend college can be a strategic investment and a great way to provide them with stable housing.

Five bullet points AND a graph.

Further, running a very quick and simple valuation based on $900 rents, 8% vacancy, 25% op exp margin, and a 9% cap rate, I'm coming up with an ARV of around $83k, so I'd pass if I were you unless you can get a much lower purchase price.

Even if you do find such a deal, getting it to cash flow after repairs and a cash-out refinance is extremely difficult, especially for single-family homes.

Seller will be taking a 30k+ loss with this route.325k with 50K down to seller, 3 years of payments $1600/month, and a balloon payment of 215k at the end of 3 years.Benefits to me: (1) 10k less downpayment, (2) with the conventional route, the loan would be at 228k after 3 years of payments, so I will gain additional equity with the 2nd option since I will owe 215k (presumably I will have to refinance at that time).Benefit to seller: she gets over asking price, 50K upfront and $300/month of cash flow.Does this offer and structure sound reasonable?

I see value in working with people who want Midwest entry level homes and as well as the higher end New Construction stuff in growth markets.