I fire off offers all day long for clients.

Two years ago I decided to turn up the fire and move things along. 

We passed, but even little things like  string lights or not having a grate over the fire pit were big concerns.Overall the numbers in Fredericksburg are staying the same compared to 2022 in my experience.

This is public info and usually it will change based on seller being there a long time or something like an elderly tax rate.What are insurance costs like (we've got a lot of local variability around fire insurance for ex.)?

Sounds like an unreasonable seller and the most likely reason for them not wanting an offer with a financing contingency is the property is in too rough shape to get financing on it (structural damage, fire damage, etc.) or won’t appraise anywhere near asking price.   

I’m out $6k on materials and have basically no recourse other than to fire him.

Random things like this.I can only imagine if they did allow you to add all the bedrooms, they would make you also add fire sprinkler system and a commercial fire alarm system like residential assisted living. 

I still don't have permits after a fire and things were submitted in March for applications.

Don’t skip safety stuff either—make sure you’ve got working smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and a first aid kit.

Because these communities would be in smaller towns and rural communities, the licensing jurisdiction is the county, meaning that code requirements are more often vested in the fire marshal and are less onerous than city requirements for the buildings and the site improvements.