It does go towards to purchase price but is not refundable like a standard earnest money deposit would be.

. * Don't allow financing or a finance contingency (it can be a good indication they are selling above market value)* Don't allow for your own independent property inspection* Are not realistic with their pro forma's (i.e. they don't include vacancy or maintenance projections or use      unrealistically low vacancy factors)* Require you to pay for any renovation upfront* Sell only in cheap. low end neighborhoods* Don't accurately represent the neighborhood/property classification* Don't have consistent rehab standards for all properties* Don't provide a scope of work for the property* Can't provide references of repeat investors* Require you to close before a tenant is in place

You may also be held to additional standards which could cost you more money than intended (i.e. some shingles come off or some of the vinyl siding gets cracked. 

A Bargain and Sale deed is a standard deed in many states.

“This is incredibly timely, given our collective commitment and my personal commitment to addressing homelessness and housing in our city,” Councilwoman Nikki Fortunato Bas, one of the ordinance’s sponsors, said during Tuesday’s council meeting.Currently, background checks are a standard part of applying for rental housing, and applicants with a criminal record often are denied.

If you are dealing with an addition built on 12" beams (or if the original foundation is old and not built to current standards), the repair company might not be able to push the piers down to refusal depth or psi due to the beam not taking the load, thus leveling it, but not guaranteeing it will not continue to move in the future, thus not providing warranty.9.

At first my biggest internal struggle was how much do I want to put down (3.5% - 20% AHHH) and how much can I spend to get a positive cash flow once I move out and have full rental streams - I've come to the conclusion that it depends on the deal. 

Signed up to Cleveland Clinic's internal housing office last year and paid the $300 fee per property for the year - did 3 properties.

One partner wants to set this up as a monthly $550 charge, saying it is "standard practice." 

So, that tells me there may be something wrong with the properties in that the seller is trying to open the pool of buyers up to folks that would otherwise not qualify under traditional lending standards as well as opening it up to the possibility of financing where it may not be otherwise eligible.The high price tells me they may not know what they are doing or they are trying to really take advantage of folks that would not qualify for traditional lending.