Option Deposit Flat Fee vs 3% of the house price.

As the thread has proven, there is way more than one way to skin a cat.I like your creativeness, and that can work with certain sellers, but if you have ever dealt with REO than you know they would laugh at that, of just flat out tell you they won't be responding for 2-3 days. 

You might be able to get a deal sooner if you could bypass the banks altogether and find a deal that is owner financed (the owner/seller carries the loan).

I think we will see ups and down and flat pricing.

I pay 1,300/mo on the mortgage and he’s going to pay me a 600/mo flat rate.- What are the legal, tax and other considerations to take into account when doing this?

Population 'growth' is relatively flat over the last 30 years and changes to the macro economy really don't impact these rural towns like they do in the cities; but there's always the worry on the micro level of the railroad depot closing or a processing plant moving out of town.   

@Chris Seveney@Bruce LynnI wish I could post a photo here... basically it’s not land locked, it appears to be flat land and not in a flood zone.

I own a two flat in Marquette Park and have long term tenants  since 2007

A flat-fee listing service just gets you listed on MLS. 

But I have my margins set flat for all loan types, so in doing that I'd price myself out of being able to be competitive in fnma/fhlmc/fha world.