Contracts must contain certain elements to be considered a legal, binding contract, none of which you expressed here.

After everything was over with we all went our separate directions I received a call later that evening from the mother (owner of the property) and she said she just wanted to express her gratitude with me and the professional manner in which I conducted myself.

I'm about to move to the Washington DC area (as renter) for work, and coincidentally the tenants have expressed a desire to buy the house. 

The REI entity has not been created yet but before I expressed interest I wanted to do a little research on funding options.I guess my high level question is what type of loan or creative money options would I qualify for?

Current renters run a group home for mentally challenged adults and pay $2,300 which is below market for the area and have expressed concern about having to move if the house is sold.I'm looking two or three options:1.

Mark - For Pennsylvania, I've found that Real Estate Express is a great option for taking the required classes, tests, etc.

When I spoke to the owner on the phone, she expressed a desire to avoid capital gains taxes.She has owned this place since 1975, when she paid $67,000 for it.

Now that I am ready I am focused on buying and holding rental properties as well as wholesaling.I can not express how much I appreciate this site and it's members for the wealth of information available and shared.Thanks again,John

When confronting the squatter, she adamantly expressed that “September did not work for her plans and decided to stay longer”. 

I, too, am at the next phase of my life (nearly empty-nest) and have the same intentions that you expressed.