So, if we were to work together we would focus on locking up your first property and reducing your anxiety.Did I understand your situation correctly?

1st of all corporations own less than 2% of single family homes, they have actually reduced thier share of buying recently, now investors continue to buy up properties, it’s just more mom & pop types, all that said the housing market is in an extremely strange place, I could make strong arguments for prices pulling back, reaccelarting, or being basically flat, the biggest thing I’d advise is looking at you payment, comparing that to what would pay in rent, figuring out how long you plan to be the house and making an decision based on that, generally in that under 400k price point, breakeven for buying a property seems to about 3-5 years if you plan to stay in the house longer than that, bite the bullet & buy, if not rent.  

We couldn't come to terms on a reduced price and I pulled the plug (no pun intended!).

While renting to Section 8 tenants can reduce the risk of non-payment, your property must meet specific standards and pass inspections by the Public Housing Authority.Please feel free to DM me if you have anymore questions or if you just want to discuss further!

A sharp downturn in economic metrics (leading to higher unemployment) is seen by most bond market experts as the likely catalyst for the next rate of sharply reduced rates.

Land that I already own is listed for sale, no dice, not looking to reduce price.

Just a way to reduce the cost of us having a place there.

I like to minimize what I pay in taxes and therefore actively manage to reduce my taxes.  

You won’t save taxes or reduce liability.

The typical issue with SE borrowers with Conventional/Govt loans is that most of the tricks that reduce your taxes also reduce your income, which is what's used to qualify you for the mortgage.