Great rate with out execution .... means nothing.

So if your goal is to create some passive income from REI, I would say do the work to get over the paralysis and execute your original plan.

For my current price range, it will most likely be a small project house.I would like to network with a general contractor to get rough repair costs before going into a property with the intent of hiring them to execute the work.

But until then (the next 6 months), I’m stuck in this sloppy lease and feel a little vulnerable without a solid lease in place.

Even if he signed and you didn’t there is no fully executed lease agreement.

If the contract is solid and already executed, I would say that 2 - 4 points ($1.6k - $3.2k) would be fair.

I can see your misfortune on that first property as the foundation for your ability to execute quickly and efficiently on your subsequent projects once you realized the value in doing so. 

I've been consuming a massive amount of content the past few weeks (1-2 BP podcasts a day, books, BP blogs & forums) and am close to executing on purchases.

Nothing in the executive summary will tell you this.

Then there's no way you could be in breach of the lease, as the lease wasn't executed (because it was not accompanied by full payment).