Texas has a short period of adverse possession, 3 years if you had a colorable legal claim on the title, 5 years with an equitable claim that you can turn into a legal claim just thru your possession tacked on to the brother's and by paying the property taxes (the brothers 3 years of taxes are tacked on to your future two years) -if you get a quit claim deed from the brother.Adverse possession is not common, but it is well known, and works just fine if you educate yourself.  

The house had been flooded, so there was some minor mold remediation that had to take place, and the house interior colors were purple on purple on purple, so paint was a must.

Highlights from Biden’s proposed plan face two distinct obstacles, passing through Congress and having the funds to support the plans.First-time home buyers with a down payment tax credit of up to $15,000Creating a national standard for appraising homes to make sure properties in communities of colors wouldn't be assessed at less than similar homes in comparable white neighborhoods.Fully fund Section 8 vouchers so that every low-income American who qualifies for the program would receive the assistance.

My advice though is to be extra selective with the color.

I was just stumbling in the dark.

Be sure to get a clear understanding of what you will be charged for holding your license at a brokerage, transaction fees, royalty fees etc (some brokerages even charge you for a workspace or color copies) and what type of training they are going to offer you specifically.

Here are a few ways to skin the cat

That will only lower the amount of competition between buyers (or cause some buyers to bail before they have skin in the game)The only reason I see for this is if it is a very competitive market where you have a great offer on the table, but are expecting a ton more offers, at that point the seller may want to set certain terms like no inspection/financing/appraisal contingencies, sub 30 days to close, etc, but still, I wouldn't give away price points.

Well, you're dependent on the kindness of strangers (to quote Blanche DuBois) who don't have skin the game besides fees.  

Hopefully he can add some more color to the reasons this was one of the areas he chose.