I'm a complete newbie to the real estate game, who dreams of starting my own residential real estate empire, buying and holding homes across the country in consistent markets to generate passive income in order to be my own boss. 

Hello @Lesley Govan,By no means will I claim to be very familiar with those towns.  

I know that I will completely take advantage of that person in the negotiation process since they have zero clue what is customary and to be expected in the process.

I'm a complete newbie to the real estate game and currently entrenched in the education phase of investing. 

@Michael S. regarding our financial analysis - we considered everything including a complete gut rehab with new plumbing and electrical, but we did not consider that it might be a total loss, or that our gut job could also involve structural repair.  

Could be a stall tactic...I.E...he fools you into not evicting or starting the eviction process because he "claims" he is leaving.  

Thank you biggerpockets community for the instruction and support that has allowed us to be in the position to need to ask these questions.  My wife and I bought an apartment building just outside of Houston with a ha...

When I originally ready this I was completely shocked.

If this is a SFH with in law, the tenant has the right to move back into the unit at the prior rent except for any normal increases after capital improvements and rehabilitation of the units have been completed. 

I sure as hell would not be paying the taxes on a property unless I was darn sure I had some claim or interest, even if title not transferred (yet).I can give you a number of scenarios why someone WOULD be paying taxes.