Most of the homes in the above areas which are in the 400K range were in the 300K mark a couple of years back -- so may be I may have missed the golden boat -- but still don't want to sit in the sidelines without doing anything

It's amazing how much you learn once you get the ball rolling.

They give out  low ball numbers to secure the job and then nickel and dime the investor/owner to make money back up.  

It's a crap shoot, but I would seize upon this as a golden opportunity to terminate that lease. 

My gut tells me we need to meet with a financial adviser or a lender to see how we can get the ball rolling.  

That's not to say you will not receive calls in the first few touches, but statistically it takes a few mailings to get the ball rolling.

The ball would be in their court, after you cancel the contract, to challenge you with a legal battle and I don't think that would be cost beneficial for them to chase commissions on one property and, if they did, I don't think they would be successful.

That time period is when the next bubble bursts in a few years (wish I had a crystal ball).  

I was driving in Woodland, CA trying to find some vacant/rundown homes and as I was driving ended up calling one of the real estate agents (Golden State Realty Group) on a home for sale to just start getting acquainted with things.

Could you give me a ball park of what I should pay for a course?