I left my Lake Oswego and lived in NE Portland to gain access to that school district just to study at the trade school because I knew I wasn't learning anything if I'm staying complacent at my old high school. 

Lending using a "contract," whatever that is, is unsecured and essentially a handshake deal.

Property type/size, ARV, school district within the zip codes, distance from shopping center, etc.

Would you say that essentially means tax sale properties are not an option for an investor who would intend to flip the house?

RM's are for people with insufficient incomes to meet their needs, and the house essentially will never have much equity.

Essentially, the bank will give you a mortgage for $80,000 on the property you paid $50,000 for. 

These are essentially business credit cards.

Also make sure it is a good school district.

I don't know about a general percentage but we had a loan through family and essentially paid cash for our house.

Plus, I need to be additional insured before starting a job.I know my trade, my clients are 80% city/county/school districts, so I ain't scared of legal issues, nor do I need to talk to a lawyer/accountant.