In layman's terms this means the buyer can enjoy and possess the property but the seller retains full and perfected ownership merely granting the equitable interest to the buyer.  

@Mike H. put it perfectly.

Have a baseline of what you consider clean and try not to let the perfect be enemy of the good.Hope this helps and good luck :)

The other day he tried to call her to give her a chance to rectify before posting the quit notice, and she responded to him with a nasty voicemail (he played it for me) explaining that the house will be returned in perfect condition next week, to take her security deposit to cover January, and not to harass her any further.

This makes perfect sense to me.

While that doesn't help you if you have an apartment for many investors investing in single family homes, duplexes and 4-plexes its perfect. 

Martin Surant Definitely sounds like you need to find the perfect buyer's agent - have you considered yourself for that job?  

This is the perfect place to learn more about REI.

For the first property purchase, it is less critical in my mind to get it perfectly right compared to using the "same method" to compare all of your prospects.  

I'm south almost to Portland, but have been looking near your neck of the woods as we explore Camano and surrounding areas to book a vacation rental large enough for an extended family Christmas getaway.