I need someone to help me not lose this deal.

Compared to last year, many of these companies' sales numbers have shown signs of slowing down and if this continues we'll probably start seeing people losing their jobs, which means people might start missing their mortgage payments, etc.

I ended up losing one of the leads due to her choosing to work with a realtor but was able to continue working with the other seller.

So no, you aren't responsible for their income tax liabilities but shouldn't spend any money on the property until end of redemption period or you may lose this if them redeem.  

The more contingencies you put in the contract the weaker the offer is to the seller and the higher your chances are of losing the deal to another buyer with less contingencies.

If you continue to be "very nice" to them, you run the risk of losing your other tenants. 

And yes, circumstances certainly come into play, just make sure you don't "set the stage" for the circumstances to exist that put a buyer or seller in a position to lose.

If timed right you can be losing money for several years through new acquisitions.

Never losing money can make people over confident and set them up for a major disaster. 

Thanks Shawn and Darren- Yeah not many will do 2nd lien, where a HELOC might (income verification again).2nd position would be ideal so that I don't have to lose 3%  & 12 years.