I realize how exciting it is to be on the brink of your first investment, but there are plenty of other fish in the sea here and like @Patti Robertson said if you have 200k to spend there are lots of other deals that meet and exceed minimum investing standards within that dollar range.A few foods for thought:If your friend is will to sell it to you for 200k, and it's value after he finishes fixing it up is 245k, then why not sell it to an owner/occupant outright, gather your profit (potentially 25k-ish) and find another lease option deal that the numbers work better on? 

Our only big competition is that Hampton Inn down the road, and most everyone agrees that staying within walking distance to Main Street is much more desirable than staying in the commercial area (there’s a Walmart, a few fast food joints, etc) a few miles away.

----------------------------------Previous post:Some food for thought.

. - 1,800 employeesFayetteville State University - 1,600 employeesFayetteville VA Medical Center - 1,397 employeesHarnett Health System - 1,135 employeesSmithfield Foods - 1,100 employeesCumberland County - 1,065 employeesFort Bragg is the largest employer in the Fayetteville metropolitan area, with a workforce of over 55,000 people.

You provide the place and leadership, they bring food and drink.I highly suggest creating your own Facebook page & group.

To my delight, all 10 nearly doubled in value and I 1031 exchanged them for apartment complexes in NE Ohio in Mike's neck of the woods and went from $50,000 cash flow to the current $160,000 cash flow per year.Swanny

Learn to love the process of breaking your food addictions.- If you're a real estate professional, learn to love generating and converting new leads.

Do you go to McDonalds drive thru and pay after you get your food?  

Food for thought...

Just food for thought.