This consistency shows a balanced market where buyers and sellers are finding common ground.Median Time to Contract: Homes are taking a bit longer to sell, with a median of 28 days to contract compared to 27 days last year—a small 3.7% increase.Median Time to Sales: The total median time to sales decreased by 2.8%, from 71 days to 69 days.

If they are solid, they pick up after themselves in common areas, keep the dishwasher running, and treat it like a home, making it *much* easier for me to keep it clean and ready for STR guests. 1-2 a month as needed I sweep/mop/catch up however needed, clean bathroom, etc.

The most common issue is a leak under the sink or dishwasher.   

The option fee should be enough to create an incentive. 3% to 5% are common.2.)

small dollar amount deals need higher fee's  this is quite common in low value real estate transactions. 

My realtor said it's common for listings to go $30-50k over list price, I got the property for $18k over asking.  

Oh Man in real estate investing this is so much more common than one would even have a clue about.

That is probably the most common case here.

There are lenders who offer construction loans for investment properties for exactly the scenario you're describing.

Worse case scenario, they can always sear it on the stove.