I never like to compare down but investing in anything is better than what most of Americans are doing on a yearly basis.  

So my question is are closing costs close to the same on a 25,000 dollar home compared to a 320,000 dollar home?

I reckon that their LENDER is likely to help them out in a greater way, by rejecting such low-ball Offers.

Plan: I live in a college town that is not friendly to the rental investor (rents are way too low compared to home prices).

I'd like to know about the number break down, risks/rewards, how to find investors that lend, how to find properties that both sides can be happy about, how this method compares to other low/no money down options, timelines, legal, etc...If anyone has any book or website recommendations please let me know!

I had to laugh about the property taxes compared to the valley.

Oftentimes my sellers are looking for something comparable to what they would have gotten in the form of refundable deposits if it were a rental, but instead in the form of nonrefundable option consideration.

Wow that sounds dirt cheap compared to what my LA attorney quoted, which included $300 just to buy a case # from court to put on the Summons, then $100 per TENANT to be served by registered process server (in my case 4 on the lease plus a couple john does!)

That almost sounds like a bargain though compared to the story I recently saw on the Fairmont Hotel charging $150,000 for a 3-night stay in their Presidential Suite that weekend. 

It's possible the properties you are looking at are sitting on the market because the rents are not comparable to the area.