It is actually a federal crime to alter/repair a HUD property prior to closing.  

@Matthew Paul for that money that you have allocated to real estate investing, aren't you actually losing 2% a year to inflation.

@Adrienne Bryson That's awesome to hear @Michael McDevitt sounds like the normal timeline, and that's exactly what I plan on doing in between deciding and actually landing my first deal.

So here you would actually have to pay for an inspection and supply the report to the seller.

Is it actually fixed to the house? 

., income + appreciation).By the way, I assumed that the duplex was actually a single unit. $550K for two units would have been a steal ;-)Let me know if you need some help finding another rental.

It's actually in pretty good shape, just wild choices in style.

The investor would have to go to the trouble of finding out who owns the note, who the actual decision maker is, and whether they are even interested in selling the note.

I don't mind, as I am not chomping at the bit to get the rent at the first of the month and I actually like getting that extra 5% in late fees. 

I'm actually trying to get a commercial loan.