State and federal laws have been created just for this......sometimes referred to as rent skimming.....getting someone to QCD their house over to you with No intention of paying their mtg payments......stay far away from this. 

In the right short-term situation where you can buy them out quickly by refiing the property as you suggest I think it works well but those deals are very hard to find for people with deep experience and connections in that local market so for someone with no experience and no local knowledge it's going to be nearly impossible.

Aside from being responsive and knowledgeable, she is also an experienced landlord and property manager and an expert in lease/purchase and owner financing.

Remember that markets can stay irrational for a very very long time.

I am looking to learn, network, and ultimately grow my real estate knowledge.

I saw a listing for a 2 bed/2 bath room in a ski lodge that we have stayed at before. 

Being a real estate agent is 95% marketing and 5% knowledge of real estate.

Also, definitely stay away from websites zillow and Icomps for comps- those sites can be up to 70% off on their numbers.Now I don't know the specifics of your deal like beds/baths, lot size, etc, but looking at comps within a .1 of the area, I would guess you'd be in the upper 300k range.

But, we do not plan on staying in our current house forever so that doesn't seem like too much weight should be put into that.

And I definitely want to stay on budget.