Find out what are standard features and what are up-grades.

What is the standard percentage they pay?

I can confirm what Dawn says, nothing specific about late fees in the WI code.Related: In order to deduct unpaid late fees from the security deposit, you must specify that you may do so in the "Non-standard rental provisions", otherwise it will be an illegal sec. deposit deduction.

Dion makes a good point to your shadow dealings, filing a memorandum of an accepted sale contract would certainly muddy the waters, but let the seller know it's being filed and that may prevent her from entering into other agreements.

And as for carpet/tile, I just want anything that looks good, which I know is all relative, but by good I'd mean, standard padding, with thick carpeting, and for tile, just something around the $2/sqft range that looks good.

That being said, I don't actually have a "real job" by most standards.

Almost certainly it says something like a certain commission is to be paid by the seller ...Here is an older sample listing agreement from MN:http://dirt.umkc.edu/files/list.html

Send them a letter or google them.google has a wealth of info on individuals (you'd be surprised).If your not afraid of being leveraged.....look for distressed properties where Hard money numbers would make sense (Less out of pocket, especially important once you have 4 mortgages and have to put 25% down instead of the standard 20%).

Outwardly I didn't see any major issues, but I thought if a house is 203K or cash only, normally there is something fairly major wrong with it to where it won't qualify for a standard mortgage.I asked the agent about it, and he just said something generic about the 203K loan helping to pay for repairs, and that in this case he thought it was just for replacing the carpet.

Find a foreclosure, look at the company that secures them ask the workers that do to give you a heads up on anything that looks meets your standards.