I am slowly transitioning from a landlord that tenants knows owns the property and has his cell phone number into a professional appearing, buildium using landlord so as to remove as much personal contact as possible.  

The Seller appears to be friends with a person at the title company who is facilitating the transaction.They signed a purchase agreement .

These notes and real estate are usually liqudated at the first opportunity to acquire marketable securities that are easier to value.

And he even said that it would be easier for me to get another agent to represent me.

Today I much prefer the turn key/rent-ready approach (as do my clients) because they're easier, less risky, and there are so many goods deals out there.$20k is very low - even in many of the more depressed markets which I would strongly question looking at, especially for your first investment.

It could be branding or messaging or appearance or some combination of those things that makes your piece memorable.

The paperwork with getting the contractors lined up, etc was a pain but I think some banks make that part of the process easier than others.

Besides one house, every deal I have wholesaled you would have never sent them a letter based on its appearance when driving by it.

My home mortgage is pretty big, and I have student loans that appear as if they will never go away.

Hopefully you hold title in a tightly maintained LLC, that's preferably NOT a 'sole member' LLC.However, it does need to be addressed immediately, a local investor friend of mine just got nailed $2000 for failure to clean it up on time & his units are empty, & he can't rent the units or sell them until its done.It appears that his local Bldg Inspector was roaming the 'hood for violations & had several local landlords in housing court.Lead Paint ramifications are a serious issue that is haunting our local landlords, esp the uninformed.good luck & keep us updated...