I accepted the offer bc my agent had advised to tie the property up first and since we know work is needed, once the inspection is ordered, i can come back and offer a lower number based on the repairs needed. 

This way she could tie in the renovations with the purchase. 

The amount of leverage that they lend is often tied to the experience level of the borrower.

You can actually tie up the property so that you can buy it in X amount of years while you save up that 20% and you can get cash flow from the property while waiting!

I would wait for the mold test, and if the mold company is legit they will say the house is livable, if they are snakes and most are in the mold business the house is going to be covered in mold.The tenants sound like they are on a mission, and when they get like that is best to cut ties and move on to the next.

Before, their hands were tied (apparently). 

It doesn’t really check the boxes of an efficient rental property (less than 1% rent to value, low cap rate, tied to an HOA, etc.) however it performs well in that I cash flow positive every month, it’s new and doesn’t require much (if any) maintenance yet, and my tenants pretty much never bother me and keep the property in really good shape.

Also spending too much down payment tying up your cash.

Your rehabber might even be willing to do the work for you without having to tie up his money in the purchase.

Average home price in Bellingham is in the mid 400s, and the homes at these prices go very quickly.The owner might be willing to consider owner financing, but I currently have available no money for a down payment (tied up in 3 other properties right now)So, who has innovative recommendations for how to get into this?