Direct mail takes time to build momentum so you want to make sure you have allocated the appropriate funds to do so.  

Having said that, and believing Dave answered your question appropriately (of course I have never seen anything less than detailed so I can only imagine the high quality of the service he offers) I had a client the other day in a similar situation. 

Having the buyer screened by an RMLO (registered mortgage loan originator) also makes the loan more "valuable," or maybe a more appropriate word, "legitimate."

However this process called a lease exchange has received no specific guidance on appropriate structure from the IRS other than a Private Letter Ruling that the process might be OK. 

And if you crunch numbers appropriately (adding in the expenses for cap ex [roof/hvac]) and have a good screening process, you will come out ahead.

if parties disagree, the title company will turn the earnest money over to an interpleader, i.e. the appropriate court.  

Everyone else needs to accumulate wealth at a faster rate than previous generations and owning a personal residence is not the appropriate vehicle for that, unless it fits within your plan.DIY RetirementStep 1: Passive income pays mortgage on personal residence (Social Security Replacement)Step 2: Passive income replaces W2 income (Pension Replacement)Step 3: Accumulate other wealth to leave to heirs (Legacy wealth)If you can get to step 2 while still being employed then you can retire at anytime.The old mentality was work until 62-65 and save 2 million for retirement, and live off of the interest of $100k per year.

The residential real estate market is priced according to recent sales (3-6 months) within the immediate vicinity (.25 mile) rather than the true "value" of your home which is perceived as subjective to the bean counters at the bank and Zillow.Zillow has been appropriately bashed for the electronic appraisals they call "Zestimate".

All of those are questions you should be asking (when appropriate) to anyone you can find involved in a deal who is willing to share.

I believe in order to achieve my goal, an appropriate loan for me would be a FHA 203(k) as i do not have a large down payment to put down but i am willing to put in the work.