I rent now but my landlord is on in years, I expect the property to be given to the children and sold so I can see the handwriting on the wall. Unfortunately for me, I live in an insane market (L.A.) and I have no money for a downpayment. I would love to buy but that will mean I leave the state. I am a vet so I’m sure the VA can help...
If the landlord passes now, I will probably be homeless. :-(
Do NOT preclude the idea of buying the property (if you like it) out of the estate. Yours is a classic, golden set of circumstances. The heirs more often than not do not want the property and would be very happy to receive a 5% yield on their value, especially for a zero-hassle no realtor commission sale to a proven payer. Those are the easiest RE deals in existence. Don’t worry about a low down payment, your dn pmt is the RE commission they won’t have to be paying.