I would have an appraiser or possibly a Realtor work up a comparable rent schedule on your house to find out what the market rent is in your area.

No comparable rents...

Then when they tell you what they want, you tell them what youcan do...and if there is a meeting of the minds you'll end up doingthe deal.In all fairness, the one who does the work should get a nice reward.

If it has poor equity, you don't want it anyways (unless doing a short sale).Qustion #4: There are special circumstances (such as short sales and rehabbing) that give an investor a comparative advantage over the the home owner and are where the investor adds value.

With fair credit you should be able to put together a no money down transaction and afford payments comparable to your current rent.Good luck.

I am assuming you would compare everything to a risk-free type investment like a CD or Savings Account and additionally maybe something like a mutual index fund for your analysis.For me, I believe I would normally pay somewhere between 700-900 on rent not including utilities.

Ask for references, portfolios, and compare quotes.

I guess the demand was pretty high and I probably could have gotten $1100, even though that would have been more than others were asking for comparable places.

Compare apples to apples and get the best deal.

If your database doesn't have it, request "Sold Listing Comparables" directly from your realtor.