Gotta get me one of those :)That house, while slightly larger then average, is pretty representative of the North East LA, and the appeal of such a property - clay shingle, smooth stucco, old hardwood, arched doorways and overall 1920's Spanish feel - when remodeled, is what's so appealing to retail buyers in the are so close to Hollywood etc..If the house was last bought in 1996 for $156K, and the current debt is in $730's, clearly the owner has taken equity out of it and walked.

We have the inspection next week, and if everything goes smooth with that I am going to set up a meeting with the current owner and tenants to go over everything. 

We used Patten Title and all went super smooth / easy

That being said, we would come back all the time to visit family and to make sure all of our assets and businesses are running smoothly.

She needed someone, a third party, who could make the paperwork and transfer smooth.

Go out and build just one single house for resale and then report back to us on where your values and your money should intersect.In your example, an average mechanic is alot more qualified to speak about how executives do things more than you think. after all, when their crap shows it doesnt work out in real life like it did on paper they are the ones fixing it. executives and management are all on their own planet. out of touch with reality. things would run more smoothly if the field monkey had some say in the upper end of things because they know from experience, not from sitting in a fancy office park reading market data.Just like the carpenters or any other building tradesman.

Everything seems to really be moving along pretty smooth!

I would like there time with me to go as smoothly as possible.  

Regarding "...anyone who is truly motivated could succeed easily without paying (literally and figuratively) for newbie mistakes..." it sounds like the Kool-Aid went down smoothly.

Getting advice and opinions on the pros and cons of a new investment are important - some investors want that while others just care about a smooth transaction.