Some want a quick sale, some just absolutely hate realtors.  

The unpaid mortgage balances after receiving any FEMA money or insurance payouts (given they even had flood insurance which a great deal of them didn't) would mean a foreclosure or short sale process.

I find it hard to find reliable real estate information from friends: many do not care so much about real estate, and those who did had relatively dated information (telling me to buy in Austin TX or Phoenix AZ after the appreciation had come).Sales people cannot give you impartial advise indeed, so you have to skip the sales talk and look at what impartial sources tell you.

I have no experience with tax sales and I know these kinds of sales can vary state by state and county by county.Thanks!

I have a duplex that I have owned for 22 years, I lived in there in the 90's I know it well, it is an easy place to manage but I have to sell it (my son is off to college next year). It has tenants, I have had one mon...

May turn out to be a not-so-great deal after the bidders get to it.I'm hopeful for your sake it's a great deal.I don't know the nuances of Harris County Sheriff sales, but I'm sure someone else here does.  

No firsthand experience, but every time I've seen this question come up the responses indicate that for a few small units LLC will not protect you better than simply adding an umbrella policy to your insurance while being more complicated and expensive to maintain.Also many snags to consider such as banks not likely to finance residential property to the name of an LLC, transferring to an LLC later can trigger a due on sale clause in your mortgage, if you mix personal funds and LLC funds to pay for something you can negate all legal protections.

He's planing on putting it up for sale when he's finished for around 200,000.

., so far below fair market price at retail that the repairs can be covered as well as your profit and the flipper's profit in its eventual retail sale -- or 'buy-and-hold-to-rent-out'er's profit before they would expect to get it rented -- plus the title search, closing, and any tax costs related to your purchase from the seller (usually split somehow) - and finally, the title search, closing, and any tax cost split with whoever buys it from you.Now, that someone could be you (you do trust you and your repair-estimate abilities, don't you?)

People repair their homes all the time before a sale at the request of the buyer.