In the South that usually means 4-5k SF brick built in in the 1980’s.

Usually there are few trolls on BP.

The home will eventually be listed for sale on the mls (realtor.com will display the listing) and by Fannie Mae on homepath.com , usually giving preference to owner buyers at first.

They usually approve you for $3-500.  

Also, typically conventional loans typically don't work in our market because it's so competitive and nobody wants to wait 45 days for the bank to close.Private money is hard to get because it's dependent on trust and relationships, and you usually do need to show a track record. 

My mom lives in a nice one but you will never see one on the market as a whole because they are built more like townhomes that share a wall or two (think a square divided into quarters that remain square) and are usually sold as individual townhomes.

Is it normal, or the cost is usually shared between the buyer and the seller?

Many locations appeared to have the tax homestead exemptions, which farther kill the cash flow.Land in Midwest- no rental income but no depreciation as well+ usually higher selling commissions +waste of property taxes.

Usually, the lessee has the option to buy.

I usually check Craig's list to see if there are any off-mls deals at a bargain.Maybe take it off the market for a month, do some minor work that gives it a more updated look (paint, landscaping etc) and put it back in the market at a competitive price.