Your best bet in situations like this is to open escrow immediately so that if the seller tries to sell to another party they will be prevented when they try to open a second escrow.

@Joshua DorkinMe neither ... all I can think of at the moment is something in the JavaScript on the page - if she is using the browser - is getting its attention.If she is talking about alerts arriving in her mailbox, then I'm betting there is a third-party, let-us-take-your-money-unnecessarily, anti-virus product installed that is having issues with the links in the e-mail messages.

The owner may wait for a day or 2 to put it up for sale, but within 90 days I would be willing to bet that same home will sell for $260,000 to $280,000.

My recollection was from when I was offered COBRA many years and i'd bet my recollection was off (By abouit 30 days.......)

It's referred to as "boarder" income.Your better bet it to rent the whole thing out and grab a cheap apartment if you can!

And, I bet I get more cash flow out of them and better appreciation than whatever you might find in some distant land.

Your best bet is to call around.  

I bet the average time frame from deciding to follow/learn/pursue to be prepared and informed enough and find a deal is probably close to a year for a lot of people, 10-14 months.

and specifically, whether I should put my next big bet on apartment building(s) or double down on single family.

I bet your grand father has and is doing very well in the business  pay close attention to himGood luck in all your ventures