Major bonus - the buyer got the 3% in equity that normally would've gone to a middleman.With utilities here and probably all over WA- the city has the right to lien w/s/g against the property, but not power.

At closing I have my attorney draft a letter showing that the seller has a payment coming in equal to or greater than the one going out. 

Or, try to nicely persuade the current renters to move so I can sell it to put my 15k in equity towards a 12 to 18% ROI property?

I have around $100k in equity.

There are incredible financial inequalities.

A rental property gets 230k in equity in the house PLUS has earned you about 100k in rental income (tax free).Now, here's where it really gets interesting.

I WILL have positive cash flow from day one and the built in equity just about guarantees that I can sell the property at a profit if I wanted to (I don't).

We got in the market and kicked butt creating 6 figures in equity so far this year and now are screening tenants to turn to the cashflow phase.This is a completely voluntary and UNsolicited opinion based on experience.

We are not beholden to any REI discipline and do have some skills.We have a SFR in Las Vegas that is rented to a family member for cost...so no cash flow, but well kept and debt pay down and has approx $70k in equity and can be disposed of as necessary. 

However, I understand how purchasing a home that requires no repairs and has 20% or more in equity is advantageous to an investor or homeowner, which is why I am currently considering this approach.