If you will be using financing, you'll need to submit earnest money, but it won't be placed in escrow until your offer is accepted.  

Yes, we are now another full time investor.One delay in permitting was that they only accept residential permit applications on certain days of the week and during very short time windows.

No one wants to sell (no surprise) and the one's who do won't accept FHA financing.

To me, this not only makes sound business sense, but it is a socially responsible way to earn a living while providing a valuable community service.

Welcome to Bigger Pockets social media, good to see IT folks are moving into real estate, I am new here and I am working in IT company, I started learning about real estate investments. 

@Cosmo Lee, Welcome to Bigger Pocks Social media, We all new here and starting learning, lot of good people here ready to help anytime.

Did we learn anything, yes but alot of half-truths too.Came home and created a Nevada S-Corp and put an LLC under it, assuming we would go national.Property bought was in Calif, so more expense to Foreign File both entities.Started looking into creating my own Property Mgmt (PM) business to control out-of-state holdings.Then I learned:PM requires a broker's license or to be under his control almost everywhereThat stopped National expansionwhich then made the S-Corp and LLC unnecessary (to me; I accepted personal risk)Did get good liability insurance and suggest an extra Umbrella policy if you're going to buy&hold (aka become a landlord).

I have been visiting family most every year and now that I've retired I have been residing in both countries during the year I sold my ranch in Oz in 2010 and bought my first sfr in the central valley in 2012 cash during the next couple of years I tried to by others but could not get finance,as it turns out for various reasons i.e. no credit score for lack of history for the years I was away, foreign assets and income is not acceptable here in the U.S.  

@Kris Haskins If your market is as hot as mine then I would just pull the plug and put it back on the market and accept only conventional finance or cash offers...price it aggressively to attract more buyers. 

@Jay Hinrichs I hear you...the problem with the NAR suggestion that a seller simply find a RMLO to facilitate the transaction is that the licensing authorities could then move against the seller for brokering without a license, and also move against the RMLO and their company for accepting TPO (third party originations) from a non-licensed person.