I agree with most of what Bill (Financexaniner) says, but do think that a home equity loan can be a good short term solution until your Mom decides what she wants to do with the house.

This is not a great solution, but the most realistic I can come up with.

Whether its a perfect solution or not is debatable, but it is indicative of how the market values homes in the area you're looking to purchase in.As Bill said - it's pretty common for the tax assessor to have incorrect sq ft information.

I think he has about $3k right now)A lease option solution crossed my mind.

It's a bit ironic - when we acquired these properties, we would have paid extra for the convenience factor of a turnkey investment package; we had to locate the buildings, purchase, rehab, and establish tenants and a working management solution ourselves.

It's on my list to continue to research the insurance market for best combo of price and service/reliability, it's a substantial expense for sure, and a very good point that you bring up.

"There are at least 10 solutions to every problem/challenge" If we think long and hard enough, the answer will come.

And absentee landlords are frequently late or non paying.So the obvious solution is to pay on time.

Why isn't solution listing it on a MLS-like service (in TX seem like a few who will do it at $400 flat fee), and scheduling an open house for 2 weeks from the listing date.

The good news is you can take advantage of it by filling the void and offering extremely reliable service by working quickly and always doing what you promise.Loyalty counts – both ways, and is easily earned when an active borrower knows they can rely on you to get the job done 100% of the time.