I've bought a couple sub-to's in the past and about to close on one next week. 

This year is slower than normal because mortgage rates and home prices are so high.

You should consider consulting an attorney.I've consulted an attorney, they usually like to handle the case in court and not advise on intricacies of how to negotiate a cash for keys arrangement. 

I save a lot more money than I would if I was renting in Fairfax VA.

I suspect you are in a much more affluent market than I am.

As for by-the-room rentals, many lenders won't allow that and if they do, they qualify you off of the long term market rents (which, as I'm sure you can imagine, would be considerably lower than the actual per-room rents).

- FYI: it's only illegal to try to rent it out, the property owner can usually legally live in a nonconforming basement unit.If you do all this you may still negatively cashflow each month, so make sure your income can cover and/or your cash reserves.If you do this successfully, you will learn more in 1-2 years than you would reading here on BP for 5+ years:)Good luck:)

if you were only going to rent out a portion of the house as an STR that portion would have to be worth more than your exchange as well.

That growth is unevenChase JordanFri, January 24, 2025  The ever-growing Charlotte region is home to 3 million people, but the population is projected to swell by more than 50% over the next 25 years, according to local researchers.By 2050, some 4.6 million people will be living in Mecklenburg County and surrounding areas, the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance said in a report released Thursday.

(FWIW,$8K on just the compressor seem excessive.)Otherwise, unless your contract with your GC says they will provide 24/7 surveillance, or you can prove the AC was never installed, you own the problem.If the property has been vacant for more than 30 days, most policies won't cover vandalism unless you have added a Builders Risk Addendum.