People will only see this as you trying to take advantage of the situation, I see it as you doing your job . buy discounted properties after a storm because owner are out of state and not possible for them to deal with big repairs..... or owners are scared of keeping those properties, and other potential problems.... 

I've heard that listing agents usually list homes for under market value just to see if bank would accept offer, but to me it seems like they putting you in an awkward situation because if they come back and say hey we want  market value it's like buy it for 230k or lose 3k and start over.

While the capitalization for the expenses is clear on properties that we the rehabbers have purchased, there are some other possibilities based on our unique situation.  

I was wondering if any of you all had investing advice or a relevant article for a new investor trying to get down payment funding for his next and first deal, or just advice for a young investor in my situation trying to make it in general!

And from there build on that situation into buying and renting out more property's 

Make sure to talk over the septic situation with them.As long as they are on-board then I'd hire an architect and bid it to a few contractors and see if it made financial sense.

@Brian Garlington Thanks for the input, have you dealt with this same situation before?

The pilot light is still lit and I can turn the furnace back on if I want.This is my first home - logically it makes sense to shut something off when not in use, but houses have so many nuances and I want to avoid a situation like "well since you shut off the furnace that cooled the insulation which then caused flaking which then clogged your air filter and yada yada your foundation broke and collapsed and there goes your investment."

From what I can read in the tax code it seems possible with the homestead exemption here:This annual exemption is available for “residential property that is occupied by its owner or owners as his or their principal dwelling place, or that is a leasehold interest on which a single family residence is situated, which is occupied as a residence by a person who has an ownership interest therein, legal or equitable or as a lessee, and on which the person is liable for the payment of property taxes

Hi, basically i know some very rich arabs who have asked me to help them find a house, the problem is I am not an estate agent, is there any way I can refer them to an estate agent and get a commission. They're looki...