I bit usual layout as its set back from the street with its own access lane and backs to a large apartment building and has taller wood fencing, but the owner has lived there for 12 years and is 73 now and tired of playing landlord with his neighbors/tenants - he has the usual tenant adventures going on right now, such as an eviction and probably isn't a thorough tenant screener. 

Interestingly that does not have much to do with fair market value.

I make more coffee and breakfast and sit outside and read at least 10 pages of water ever book I currently reading.After that, I begin to answer email while making any calls I need to make.I then work on my blog or explore BP and answer any forum questions I can.Pick up a little around the house and play with the dog and then I am off to work for the day. 

Not deal breakers.I'm currently an active retail mortgage originator, amongst a couple other things, but Its been my experience that working as a wholesale account executive from 2000 until 2016 and being on the backside of literally thousands of loan closings since the inception of the newest regulations that I can recall only one instance of a set back caused by cents on a transaction, but that was early on in the Dodd/Frank era and was the result of software, that was subsequently fixed by an addition 3 day waiting period, because that was the safest play for the lenders ***.The take away here, again just in my opinion, is on the front side of the transaction, write the offer at whatever it takes to get the contract done, then hand it off to your favorite lender...they'll figure it out. :)

Figured these would be fairly standard.

I am willing to bet that a house of that size with a Koi pond is in a fairly nice area that’s zoned residential, single-family.

Joe Pate at Pate Appraisals was very prompt and friendly and seemed fair in his inspection of my duplex, discussing things with me afterwards that could affect valuation.

I played around with some of the ways of looking at value in the Introduction to Real Estate Analysis article by J Scott, but whenever I think of an offer I get worried I am either insulting him or giving away all my hard work (3 years of time assembling lots and getting it through city approvals, and serving as an uncompensated GC for net zero energy certification and most of the site work).

And to make it fair to the seller, give them the right to continue marketing the property on their own and cancel your contract at any time prior to you signing that subtenant.

Hello all, I am a longtime reader and fairly new to action in the DFW market.