You do not need to record the survey.. just have him locate existing pins.. then eyeball it for yourself.You can also ask for an Alta title insurance policy and that will ensure you for enchroachments etc.

@Sarah ZiehrI assume you confirmed that with the listing agent that FNMA policy on those particular properties was "No investors at any time" ? 

that's how it is, you need to do your due dilagence up front, I either use my friendly title company locally, abstract my own title, or buy their policy, if they will provide title insurance, and they did it wrong, thats why you are paying for insurance, so they INSURE its clear.

I have absolutely zero interest in flipping, and am looking solely at buy-and-hold with long-term sights... to that end, Strawberry Mansion (or at least parts of it) seemed like it might be viable.

When closing with the TITLE companies...Shouldn't the Home Insurance Policy be a part of your closing done by the Title company? 

I was able to owner finance and my favorite method was low down say a few grand.. and ZERO % interest carry with higher than normal payments but enough that the buyer could break even on cash flow if they managed them themselves...

And "that" conversation isn't necessarily a bad one to have, depending on your tolerance for risk.VA has the lowest credit/income/asset standards paired with the best rates & no mortgage insurance, they compensate for this with the highest standards for the property of any traditional mortgage loan program.Depending on your risk tolerance, you may want to actually be willing to spend money putting BS band aids on the home post-appraisal and after you've got your conditional loan approval.

I never really understood what is adequate and what I should include in my policy.

These are simply suggestions and your own risk tolerance will guide your final decision:Slow and Steady: $100K should be more than enough to afford down payments on a couple small multifamily units.

They provide us with Word docs due to the fact that we always need to modify them in multiple area because of the way I structure my zero down deals.