What Aaron posted I took as off topic, as if he was buying partial payments from note holders, if it was meant the way you took it, you'll have an amount as a forgiveness of debt, taxable income.

I find buying the higher end homes are much harder to unload and the amount per square foot decrease the larger more expensive the home!

Tenants are paying this for you and your mortgage is being reduced every monthYou also have write off of depreciation, a non cash expense which lowers your taxable income.These two returns are usually not mentioned when calculating total returns.  

The housing stock will deteriorate in quality and decrease investor opportunities unless we become smart on these new requirements and build them into our costs.- Does anyone have any 'rule of thumb' to estimate the cost of a sprinkler system.

Jon is right moving in will decrease the down to possibly 3%, depending on other factors.

i think the 1% rule or 2% rule for that matter will continue to exist. maybe not in texas eventually but somewhere else like in the case now. where property prices increase in one area , these remain stable or decreases in other states. same with property taxes.

FIrst is the fees/penalties involved in the foreclosure will decrease the net.  

Read up on seller financing topics in the forums, not podcasts or youtube or comic books.Much better to go in at a lower price and higher interest, sellers rather have interest income than taxable gains, it also gives you equity and the ability to refinance if necessary or leverage another deal with that equity.

Now rental returns are decreasing and flippers are making a more modest return so we have the best of both worlds right now.

The first idea that crossed my mind with your standard 20% down, finance the balance conventionally is to ask the seller to be in 2nd position for the $100k, and depositing a portion of your $100k in the lending bank as a secured portion of collateral for them that decreases over time.