Also, they may have their own cash crunch at the end of the month so why not get the rent before their paycheck runs out.

I have great connections but was always the guy behind the relationship manager crunching the numbers and have never been the one begging for the loan. 

Under a buyers agency, the agent is working "for" you.Sounds like your agent is either swamped with work/time-crunched, lazy, or I'm missing something....

Haven't yet reached out to a real estate agent or lender to discuss the possibilities as I just started crunching the numbers once I reached out to see the property after coming across the posting.

Back to number crunching and finding deals!

If you were only expecting $800/month in rent, the absolute numbers are not as high (but your rent as a percentage of purchase price is likely higher in a cheaper market), so those investors can essentially afford to budget for such high percentages, because the absolute value will be substantially lower than if you tried to do that on a unit renting for $1500/month.It's just a thought I've had (and heard, I think); I have not actually sat down and really crunched different markets yet to prove it.Also, if I was househacking, I would probably handle the lawn/snow and other such things. 

I also read often that it is heavily advised to take advantage of the section 179 deduction.So - I am trying to crunch the numbers for a potential vehicle purchase for my business and am weighing it against lost profit.

If you can't crunch the numbers you shouldn't do the deal.

What numbers do you usually crunch before making an offer on a place?

Do your own due diligence and crunch your own numbers.