Also, I know all the mortgage loan officers in BOISE and they all do a fantastic job and know their stuff.

It also covers lots of real estate stuff that's not specific to long-distance investing.Saving $26k in a few years is a real accomplishment, and you deserve to make use of it now, not in 3 years.

Most places quote 3 months to allow for the 1 month in escrow.679 v 680 is a big cutoff for a lot of stuff. 

Water heaters, dampness, foundation issues, control panels, the pricey stuff will show itself.

@Mike Jacovelli I definitely don't love sharing my goals personally.I'm not saying its right or wrong but I don't like giving myself the satisfaction of talking about stuff I haven't done yet.

Also to sweeten the deal, I planned on telling him to take what he wants and I’ll empty out the house (he is 70 and his son is about 45 so I can see this being appealing-the house is loaded with stuff).

I am certainly not endorsing this as something I would personally necessarily support, it's just the way stuff like this has panned out in the past... we have a Supreme Court that for over two centuries has acted wildly beyond their explicit constitutional mandate [sometimes in really beneficial ways], we have a Fed, etc.

I know I have a lot more to learn but I don't want to waste time and feel I should take action pretty soon.I started building credit already and I read/listen to real estate related stuff everyday.

@Spiro PapaGreat stuff!

I do the same stuff that everyone else does with those points.