Of the six, five accepted me, and I had my pick of four full-ride fellowships and teaching assistantships.

YUP tough one.. market has cooled .. for used homes new construction remains robust.. especially if its same school district.IN CA we would accept the negative and rent it out and probably anywhere west coast..

But this is the kind of risk we have to just accept as landlords.  

If it’s a three day gap we make a rule that we can accept three day bookings during these dates. 

Most tenant occupied properties do no allow showings until there is an accepted offer.

There are open Qualified Opportunity Funds accepting investors right now.

As I understand it, this clause permits the seller to accept my offer and put a 10 day block of time AFTER due diligence is completed, to potentially field other offers. 

However, the houses I bought took at least 90 days to fix, market, sell and close, so that wasn't too big a deal for me.Once the offer is made, and accepted, you can not assign the contract.  

Though we weren't living in poverty, we had family that would give it to us each month and my parents would accept it. 

Who knows what the rental property ordinances/bylaws in Burlington, Iowa are, and if they deviate from generally accepted practices?