The seller expressed she won't take anything less than the asking price and clearly is not in any rush to sell.

Delivery is set for 2022.Decisions... decisions...

The other who saw the apartment has messaged me a couple of times since the showing, expressing interest but has not submitted an application. 

they considered it a dwelling unit and can qualify for opting out of VRLTA VA 225-55.01 if they expressively write it in the lease.

One of the units now has a tenant that has expressed their desire to stay long term.

When my roommates ask them to do more than paint over the wall, the maintenance person expresses that it would be cheaper to just paint over the wet spot, rather than do more.

Here's how the process works as I understand it:1) You list your property2) Tenant expresses interest     a) you do your background check - if approved:3) Tenant gives you their S-8 RTA form     a) You fill out your portion and return it to S-84) They determine if your rent is within their market guidelines     a) If it is not, then they say "hey,  your rent is too high for our program, we'll only allow $635/mo, not $650" (as an example)     b) It's up to you at that time to determine if you will accept the lower amount or not.

He recently started his small business for deliveries (i.e. mulch, soil,  sand, gravel, caliche, etc.) and lawn service. 

But on the flip side, he's eliminating 99% of the tire kickers.Have a sit down with your realtor and express your feelings and concerns. 

2 - "You make your money when you buy..." is one of the oldest expressions in REI.