So our best bet will be a portfolio lender?

I'd be willing to bet she has huge personal problems.

I think leveraging that equity to my advantage may be my best bet...not super experienced with PML's though so I may look into that more as well.

I removed the doors for this project to convert to hidden hinges, which i tried xxi hinges that dont require drilling cups in the doors.The boxes and doors got two coats of cabinet rescue, and used a quart and a half for the entire kitchen.

I bet 20% of my deals every year get done because I have a relationship with the agent on the other side of the deal.Be aggressive. 

I wouldn't bet on appreciation to make my property work, but I have a really hard time if I cannot have a reasonable expectation of a property appreciating at the pace of inflation (2-3% a year.)

Find out the loan to value on which they will loan to ensure the money will be enough to cover everything.If they do seasoning ask for how long, if its 3 months not bad at all but no seasoning is your best bet and saves you money.

If they are motivated sellers that NEED to sell the town home, and they are open to seller financing, I bet you there are BP members that could help you w/ money ideas.  

However, my full-time job in corporate strategy provides me three fundamental skills I believe will translate incredibly well to real estate:Quantitative analysis and model-building are core skills to being able to judge the value of a potential market / acquisition in my daily workMy daily success hinges on instilling efficient, scalable business processes and getting creative with incentive alignment to ensure everyone is working toward the same goalAs a strategist, my work on the above has zero bearing if I haven't earned the trust of those who must execute against them.

First, speak with your mortgage company, check you can make regular or one off principal payments, without penalty.Bearing in mind it can be hellishly expensive to live in Europe (depending on where), you might need that savings.Hedge your bets a bit, because it's a lot easier to give the bank money, than it is to get it back.