Not sure how their business model will work out long term.

Everything has to be done at arms' length and exclusively for the benefit of the IRA/401kAs to the details of various plan types and services models, there are several options. 

If your Real Estate agent works with investors, they would already have the full list of builders, their models, ballpark pricing and a list of their common concessions.

Appliances were bought as floor models and I sold the old units.

In that kind of model, losing 2-5% of income because of non-payers means everyone else in the system (all the ratepayers, tax payers, etc) must suffer because there's no magic pot of money to suck it up for these people.

Nobody really wants us, till they need us.The reality is without understanding the true power of leverage and having a scalable business model the landlord will run out of hours in the day before they reach their goal of wealth, this only happens with leverage of people's money as well as other people's business and systems.

You have the good fortune of being self employed, and if your business model is viable and capable of scaling that 10k reinvesting in marketing, sales, or other growth initiatives will yield you way more than it would investing in RE, unless you start a real estate investing business of some sorts with it.If you're hell bent on investing in RE, I would say don't do it until you've got more cash. 20k puts 20% down on a cheap duplex out of state.

Buy conventionally with title insurance or don't buy at all. having had sub too foreclosure rescue a major part of our business model until it became basically illegal in WA and OR for the reasons you suggest.. the same rules apply buying a home sub too with virtually no equity is a waste of time and money unless its in a SPECTACULAR location .. you need equity to absorb when the buyer who bought from you on terms for next to nothing down defaults. which is often.. and now your stuck with cash in the house.. your stuck making payments to the senior and then you probably have to rehab once you get it back.not to mention having the loan called.. 

Get out of the competition mindset and build a model that puts you in unsaturated investing territory. 

From a modelling perspective what are the typical seller costs (fixed or % of sale price) that you model for closing costs on small, 10 - 20 door properties?