The main factor likely has to do with the lack of access provided by the owner/tenants.

My objective was simply to get in the game, and therefore the short term loss was well worth it for me.

When you're ready for the down payment on the new home, you simply write yourself a check and use the cash as the down payment.

If its an off-market property, I would contact your favorite local Title Rep and provide them an area of interest and they can provide you all of the property owner mailing address on a spreadsheet... then you can simply narrow down the owners that are absentee to target.   

Manufactured/modular homes have to be part of the solution - the lack of affordable housing in this country is at epidemic levels.  

You could simply find a different property.If the existing drains were filling the sump fine and the existing sump discharge line was discharging far from the house in a down hill direction and the only problem was that the existing pump had failed, then I probably wouldn't be worried, I'd simply ask the owner to buy a new pump before closing.

I've worked with several investors who have comingled funds simply because they simply didn't name their properties effectively.Investors who have large portfolios (50+ properties) and have found this to be the most effective strategy for naming properties/trusts/(Series)LLCs.

Everything can be fixed--the question is simply how much it will cost.I would suggest getting an experienced restoration company or contractor with fire-damage experience to look at it and give you a run-down on what it will need.

We simply told the truth, because my wife wanted to be closer to work.

I also find the high prices and lack of inventory discouraging, but on the other hand it does encourage me to "think outside the box" to some extent.