It's all about the guarantor on the lease, experience in that chosen industry, a track record of success, liquidity and net worth of the guarantor, and how easily attachable the assets are if something goes wrong.For instance I would never front money for tenant improvements on a business that is not a proven performer.

Feel free to call.Check out the Start Here page http://www.biggerpockets.com/starthere Check out BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginner's Guide - A fantastic free book that walks through many of the key topics of real estate investing.Check out the free BiggerPockets Podcast - A weekly podcast with interviews and a ton of great advice.

Past performance is no guarantee of future performance, nor a good indicator of what the property is worth.

The option can {many would say, should} contain the future Agreement of Purchase and Sale (APS), with all the terms and conditions of the future sale, laid out, as a Schedule to the Option agreement/contract.In exchange for the right to purchase the property at the {strike} price established by the option contract, an option fee is paid by the purchaser of the option to the writer/provider of the option.I would keep the two agreements separate (as if they are with two different people) and have no performance ties between them (i.e. no rent credits, no financing of the down payment, etc).  

You might want to check out the A Beginner's Introduction to Real Estate Investing to help you get started.Also -be sure to setup some keyword alerts - especially for "Waukee" so you can jump into local conversations.See you around the forums!

The Ultimate Beginner's Guide is now a course that you can now watch.

At a minimum the listing agent is performing unethically by putting this on the MLS.

If I could start over, I would include multi in my beginner investments.

Being a first time buyer/investor, I think you would benefit most from reading the Ultimate Beginner's Guide here on the site (www.biggerpockets.com/ubg) ...It'll provide an excellent foundation for you going forward, invest in your education first!

In order to get the overview of what REI can do for you, read The Ultimate Beginners Guide at www.biggerpockets.com/UBG!