Down here in San Antonio, most first-time investors I run into typically will have $50,000 - $60,000 in cash to be able to comfortably afford putting a down payment and having funds set aside for renovation cost.My question to you would be, how much funds do you currently have set aside for a real estate purchase?

Something like this where you could live in the remodeled basement and rent out the full house would be a great introduction into real estate and really set you up for success. 

However, given that we haven’t even gotten our company bank account set up yet (I know) we felt it best to bow out.

Just adjust your payments and expenses to accommodate the payment being received on the 5th.

I know a lease-opiton is typically a good strategy, but I don't want to set her up for failure just to make a dollar. 

Not saying this is the case all the time, but often times they just have poor or little marketing, and no follow up with prospective tenants.I'd also consider any "alternate" uses, for instance its currently an office building, but is there a different use or is it in a location that lends itself to say medical office more than trad office, or is there a way to retrofit for a coworking kinda set up. 

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JamesPossibly the amount of finance fees with formal pricing adjustments changed between the times of Loans for your friend, but there’s no rule that says that. 

Many OOS investors set themselves up for failure because they don't invest the time to ACTUALLY understand:1) The Class of the NEIGHBORHOOD they are buying in - which is relative to the overall area.2) The Class of the PROPERTY they are buying - which is relative to the overall area.3) The Class of the TENANT POOL the Neighborhood & Property will attract - which is relative to the overall area.4) The Class of the CONTRACTORS that will work on their Property, given the Neighborhood location - which is relative to the overall area.5) The Class of the PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANIES (PMC) that will manage their Property, given the Neighborhood location and the Tenants it will attract - which is relative to the overall area.6) That a Class X NEIGHBORHOOD will have mostly Class X PROPERTIES, which will only attract Class X TENANTS, CONTRACTORS AND PMCs and deliver Class X RESULTS.7) That OOS property Class rankings are often different than the Class ranking of the local market they live.Class A is relatively easy to manage, can even be DIY remote managed from another state.

You can also set up a lease-purchase with your end buyer for 12-24 months.