CONSUMER " PROTECTED"  OUT OF HER HOME.SUBTITLE:  BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, YOU MIGHT GET ITAn actual case history- A home owner rendered homeless as a consequence of  a mortgage regulation--  HOEPA  ( Home Owner's Equity Protection Act )The mother of  three school age children provided in home medical assistance for an elderly resident of a small Idaho mining town.  

Make sure you have realistic expectations.If residential figure out your average houses sales price for your area.Realize that summers months is when a lot of buyers purchase to get kids situated before school starts back.

. - I have been very selective in the areas I have considered, only looking within a 20 mile radius of my home in NW Frisco, and only in areas with great schools.  

the property is located in a town with two large universities, so renting a unit during the school year is typically difficult.

However, it's a market that we're comfortable with, great schools, and high-quality long-term renters are common.

So it could be that either they did not notice or else they saw the payment history and knew that they still had the original paperwork where I personally guaranteed the loan.

I've picked two areas here in Memphis close to desirable schools.

Here's what you need to check in both...Job creation with projections and median salariespopulation growth projectionsRE trends...avg DOM, median price, # units sold (sweet spot units 3/2/2), etcquality of schools (greatschoold.org)Major employers in both areas (each area probably has an Economic Development Corp that will have a wealth of canned information)anything else you can think of that helps you compare apples to appleIn addition to the above, I would research the sub-markets within each area.

@Shawn ConnorsRent to own works best in A or B areas, not C or D areasPerfect house,  perfect neighborhood, perfect schools, some where to sink their feet for 5 to 7 yearsInstead, I would look at buying on terms like a wrap around mortgage or sub 2 then renting it out if the area is not great

The purpose of Real Estate School is to teach you the LAW, not to sell.As a previous poster to accurately mentioned, you need sales skills, scripts, dialogues and techniques to carry the day!