Minimal liability, you pay an HOA fee and most everything is taken care of for you.

Offer them a sizable referral fee for their leads. 80 to 100 basis points.

But I've always inherently felt that I should be the ones paying application fees since I'm the one who wants the information.However, OBVIOUSLY, I am not going to do that, up front. 

@David DesYou could go the route of a “Subject-To” existing mortgage, but depending on how far back her payments were due or the cost of the late fee, it may be a deal killer.

The reason for the seller's willingness to discount that much in today's climate, from what info I have so far, is due to the extremely low rate on the modified loan (less than 2%, recast for a new 30 year term).So due to the rate, even at 50% of UPB, the return on my investment would be around 4% after considering servicing fees, etc., which is not nearly enough to interest me in this deal, considering the risks of borrower re-default, etc. 

They do charge a fee for what they get you approved for so it's in their best interest to find you funding.   

Will this stand up in the court of law, where an agent could not claim to get a brokerage fee on the other property, because I signed an exclusive agreement with them? 

@William Lewis you're correct that closing costs on HELOC is much lower, usually just an application fee along with an annual fee (some banks will make you pay for the appraisal as well). 

Dayton OH considered hidden gem for turn key out of estate Investors, with a growing job market and steadily rising property values.

Leave this to the lawyers and have your borrow pay legal fee