The original budget was 50k.

The seller retains legal title until the contract is fulfilled.Advantages:Lower Upfront Costs: You can avoid closing costs typically associated with formal closings.Control: You can take control of the property to make repairs and sell it while leaving the original financing in place.More Flexibility: Compared to a novation, a land contract offers you more control over the property since you hold equitable interest.Risks:Seller’s Cooperation: The seller retains legal title, which can complicate things if they change their mind or their financial situation worsens.Resale Issues: FHA buyers may require the deed to be in your name for 90 days before they can purchase, which could slow down your resale plans.Subject-To FinancingHow It Works: In a subject-to deal, you take title to the property while the seller’s existing mortgage stays in place.

In addition to the conference I've outgrown, I've attended the big OREIA several times as well as the biggerpockets -original- conference a long time ago. 

Back to today: I got off the phone with my agent, where I communicated how I wanted to present my offer (in summary: if the seller rejects my original offer, I hope they'll make a counteroffer, but if I decline that counteroffer, I will move on to make an offer on the next property of the few I am interested in the market - this is to avoid a back-and-forth and the property had been listed for a year with a 25% price cut in that time).

Origination package (if available)8.

If they are telling you 2.5+ in origination fees, you can probably find cheaper money elsewhere.   3.

One accountant said it’s not subject to self employment tax since it’s considered passive (but origination fees and other loan income fees are subject to it.

Since your last residency was in 2020, you do not meet this requirement, so the exclusion likely won’t apply.You'll need to calculate the capital gains based on the difference between the sale price and your adjusted cost basis (original purchase price plus improvements and less depreciation taken).

Originally posted by @Bradley Sriro:Does anyone else see a problem with being requested to pay for a consultation in advance?

If they wanted to pay for the updates and agreed to restore the property to its original condition (if you wanted them to) after they left, you would need to allow it.