buying property is a huge deal - it has to be worth a couple trips. 

If you have a deal and you're willing to contribute some time & sweat equity, you can consider joint partnerships &/or equity partnerships.

Please provide useful advice on locating, assessing, and negotiating private money lending deals, especially from seasoned professionals.

You're dealing with an attorney and a pretty selfish one at that. 

If you can work remote, I would choose a market where you would like to live and where you can invest in deals that cash flow.

If he refuses and especially if he was an agent on this deal, I would report him to the local board of realtors and possibly also to the state's real estate commission.

And if you reduce the amount, you are reducing your protection.I have tried both and I'm still not sure which way to go.Airbnb's solution (neither one, just a virtual deposit, in case) is the best, IMO, but vrbo has not yet copied this one (I wish they would).How are you dealing with this matter for those of you on VRBO?

Not looking to spend too much money as this deal is amongst trusted family members and I just want to make the transaction legitimate.

Hey @Tucker Cummings, congratulations on your upcoming Sub2 deal!

If there is mold, you need him out anyhow to deal with it.Edited  to add: any chance whatever caused the fungal infection was the result of the surgery?