An alternative to what JScott mentioned is the have them commit a non-trivial amount of money that is hard immediately if they are serious.

This isn't quite a hypothetical question, but I'll keep it general in nature.I've noticed a few husband/wife teams (or couples in alternative relationships) where both are real estate professionals.

His alternatives are few...traditional sale means cash out of pocket which the seller probably doesn't have, a short sale which half result in a foreclosure anyway...they go into foreclosure and take the "atomic bomb" FICO hit, or...they assign the payment.An unsellable house to a probably unloanable buyer.

There are so many alternative investments out there that generally only accredited investors see.

Alternatively, you could start off with some cheaper condominiums.

You really need to have a solid plan and not many alternatives to choose the right product.

However, these alternative strategies, often times incur a largr upfront cost usually in the form of a downpayment or other consideration which greatly increase the risk factor.The ultimate litmus test, in my opinion, is the B in an SLO an integral part of the transaction?

The number of deals I've closed with my license are countless compared to the deals which I closed before I was licensed.I've always strongly agreed with Jason on this topic.

An alternative is go get a line of credit of some sort.

The IRS generally does not move in to sell properties for amounts due, they will collect from other alternatives first.