Later we had people in the neighborhood who all knew about this issue and of course it made my Parents regret the purchase. 

That is what controls the deal and whether yo get your earnest money back.

Anyone can file an ROR about anyone for anything... they are not investigated and I think that ROR is a Rip-Off personally since they allow people to vent their vitriol without any controls.

Remember you don't have to own a property to control it.Paul 

My parents rented most of their lives and only moved twice!

The owner inherited the place from their parents and live out in washington state.  

Lastly, the loan is in your personal name, so you probably do not want to turn total control of payments over to them.  

And do i need to get a special termite inspection by a pest control company or will an ordinary home inspection suffice? 

My fiance is a doctor there and it's definitely past time to shorten the distance between us, and of course I'm looking forward to this next step in building our lives together.HERE'S THE RUB: I just recently became licensed in CA (it's been a plan of mine as I want to invest in more RE) and because 1- I need to sell my primary residence in lieu of moving to Detroit, and 2- my parents are looking to unload a few of their rental properties starting this April, so I may as well make some easy money being their listing agent.As there are a lot of moving parts, it can seem a bit daunting: My tenants' leases will end in May so I can have time to clear everything out, move my things to Detroit, and get the house up to market.I will have to find the best way to step away from my FT job here (as they don't operate in MI) and I've started researching jobs in Detroit****The main complication about the job hunt is: I want to find something that of course will provide a stable income as I acclimate to the new life in Detroit but I also want to have enough time carved out to start finding flips and rentals AS WELL AS facilitate the selling of my parents' rentals back in CA (which is one of the reasons I got licensed remember). 

Would I offer a cash offer with monthly payments, which would be a lease option, would I put in the contract a certain amount of time until I (investor) take complete control of the property?