Could I simply write the purchase price as "current + appreciation at the end of the option term" and define the appreciation as the Q1 2014 average appreciation percent for our city from next year's LA times?

All in broad daylight.

Defining what the goal is with this money is the first thing.

In addition to my comments above, if you want to be ultra literal and logical, consider this...Most people define money as a currency for trade/bargaining.

You may be able to take an additional first year special depreciation allowance for certain qualifying property (defined below).

Define your goal then pick a path to follow.

That is, you gave them a deed to the house and took back a mortgage in the form of a deed of trust or mortgage. aight owner financing.The ability to correctly define a legal problem in REI, especially for lay people, is often difficult or impossible.

I've talked to and read information from several LLC SDIRA companies (Broad/Guidant/etc.) along with others who offer only custodial SDIRAs, and I feel confident that I would prefer the LLC SDIRA.

The biggest thing to derail rehab projects is contractors who can't keep on schedule (or managers who can't define and manage schedules).

Its simply the least bad of the losers.As far as any data anyone's produced, the 50% rule (50% of gross schedule rents go to expenses, capital and vacancy) applies broadly.