In some states, like Mine, evicting people is impossible over the winter months, and they can fight evictions over the summer for long enough to be into the winter months. Meanwhile, they don't have to pay electric & fuel bills, they accumulate on the owner's name. Be real careful getting into such a situation. You could be sitting on a very shabby house & a year's worth of utility bills if you have renters who know how to play the system. And if you talk about them to other landlords, they can sue you for that too......
As to the question, think about the tax laws. If you offer the guy more than he paid for the place, he gets into capital gains and really doesn't make anything. It's very complicated to reinvest income into another place & not lose a big chunk to capital gains. He's currently makeing $100 a month, or $1200 a year, and might not mind the place running down, no expenses on upkeep?
You have to look at the whole complicated tax situation, and make it worth $110 a month to him, after taxes, plus have the value of the chunk of realestate to pass on tax-free (no capital gains on estates) to his heirs.
Depending on his financial status, that can be quite complicated to figure out something that will actually benifit him over his current arrangement of getting $100 a month income plus expected capitol gains. If you are in a growth area, or a possible growth area, he could be figuring this property is worth a million in 20 years, and wants his heirs to have that oppertunity.
Look at it from his point of view, & think of the consequences of selling now vs keeping it.
--->Paul