That plus your debt-to-income ratio is really going to be the determining factors on your budget for your house shopping.

Interview them in a coffee shop and screen them with rentprep. 

My only concern is what if they close shop or sell their business?

Seller will financeLarge building with 3 storage bays/shops on one end1.

Yes, you have to hang your license with an institution because it pragmatically isn't economical to run your own independent shop these days.You're still often brokering or correspondent lending, though, if you work for a mortgage bank or mortgage company (eg, not a "bank" bank, where you can have a checking account).

That will help with DTI.Put a pdf-package together with your financials, summary on the first page, shop it around, should not take you long.

I clean all shared areas of the home, cook occasional meals for guests, lawncare, maintenance, and shop for them (consistently provide milk, bread, basics etc)?

It's a block-by-block play that in my opinion & requires a visit so you can determine where you feel comfortable and also to ensure that you situate yourself where shopping (grocery shopping) is closely available. 

In a similar fashion, if you can imagine how much landscaping and underground infrastructure is in a golf course as compared to the clubhouse, that will give an indication of why an extremely high percentage of the property's value is allocated to the land improvements.

Can I shop for title insurance later when I refinance?