My Grandfather has a lifelong hatred of people leaving their barking dogs outside all day and has horrible experiences with them at his own homes.

They never did fulfill (in our opinion) the warranty...they charged a service fee and didn't replace/repair the appliance like we expected.On the other hand, now that I am a real estate agent, I offer home warranties through a preferred vendor to my sellers and buyers.  

Sometimes it's not always the best financial decision that wins, but the one that makes your life easier, happier, and more fulfilling.

Congrats on taking steps towards fulfilling your goals and expanding your financial independence!

At this point I didn't think the fourth buyer would go for it but they were pretty unique - not only were they paying 100% cash out of pocket, they also had a 1031 exchange to fulfill so they had no issue bidding the price up to $450,000 and offered just that.

They are looking for either a value add single fam or multi that’ll rent well after they fulfill the primary residence obligation of their financing.

Yes, I will likely not be fulfilling the 2 out 5 year requirement to avoid the capital gains tax when I eventually sell. 

With that being said, I prefer to buy vacant units so I don't have to terminate leases or drastically hike up rents upon purchasing a place, not to cast judgement on those who do so (a lease is a contract, once that's fulfilled you don't owe the tenants below market rent, nor should they expect that), but that is my personal preference.

I charge two months rent or remainder of rent to fulfill the contract, whichever is less.

It is always wise to follow up on those referrals.Before I got into real estate investing, I had another life and I was somewhat successful in a career where I made lifelong friends, and I have a rather large extended family that has some ambition.