My opinion is the same as Ned's response.

As "@Ned Carey said, it's guru stuff. 

So, as Ned mentioned, doing some work yourself to ensure what you present isn't off the deep end, will get you past being turned down and save you money.Next, what can you do for them?

As Ned said, deals are NEGOTIATED (meaning, you should only offer the price that DOES add up to good investing).

As @Ned Carey said buy the cheapest house you can get buy with especially when you are starting out.A little personal story- 2 years ago we sold our house in a nice town with high taxs and moved into a smaller condo in a town with lower taxs.

I would think you would be stuck with any repairs but as @Ned Carey mentioned, you need to look at your contract to see what is written.  

As @Ned Carey mentioned, there is a procedure to request they release their redemption right. 

Let the escrow office know the amounts so they calculate it into the final settlement statement and the deposits are transferred to you asn the new owner.

I do have a side by side duplex in Columbia heights..minutes from NE Mpls if that might work for you..I recently sold a duplex in NE. 25 Showings, multiple offers..Columbia heights gets is not as close to downtown as NE Mpls however, thinking long term, those RE values positioned in the right communities, should experience some significant gains over time.

but as @Ned Carey mentioned in MD that may amount to a hill of beans in court.