A friend of mine lives at home with her family and rather than paying rent, her father (a house painter by profession) paints for several of the landlord's units once or twice a week to make up for the rent.

So if he never rented the house out, that means his basis is higher, which means mine would be higher if I were to sell, correct?

Will let you know how mine goes.

I am aware that the debt and responsibility of the property is mine in this deal, and I'm going into it with the ability to handle the mortgage if my brother runs into any issues.

The sellers lawyer used his own contract instead of mine though, and there isn't any language about it being assignable.My question: Is the contract considered assignable unless stated otherwise?

In mine (IL) the designated agent is still due commission if they leave the brokerage

I'm just going to honor the contract like a colleague or mine suggested and possibly lower the other side to fill it.

Here are a few of mine in order of priority:Price-to-rent Ratio - 1% + ($1,000 rent for a $100,000 house or better)Crime/Safety - no violent crimeSchools - high rated schoolsAppreciation Rates - San Antonio is a relatively low appreciation area, but I am trying to find the best I can.What are some of yours?

I have my financial go lined up and have narrowed down my areas where I would like to purchase a property.A coworker of mine has several rental properties and recommended her Realtor.

I am sure that your laws are more restrictive than mine, but I had this happen once to a rental.