A seller eager to sell who won't be unreasonable about price or terms. Affordable financing from the seller, a bank credit line, or assuming the existing mortgage. Occupants who will move out. An occupied house will slow your progress. A good quality school district.
Poor schools drag down resale values while good schools attract families and raise house values.
The kitchen was straight out of Bedrock rough, fake-stone walls oddly placed at the back of the living room. But the rest of the apartment was a superb bachelor's pad sleek with marble this and built-in that. The building had a huge mortgage with a rate topping 10.25 percent. I reasoned that the mortgage could be renegotiated and then the maintenance fee would be cut. The good news was that these two flaws scared everyone away.