I'm not opposed to paying for education but was thrown offguard as they didn't not set my expectations & I didn't think I would feel so much pressure. 

Good deals (great deals) are WORKED - negotiated, bartered, set up creatively, and necessitate understanding the opposite parties motivations, desires, needs, pressures, etc.

I would start with something either turnkey or light value-add, so you can start forming your boots on the ground team with less pressure and risk.

You didn't mention the time frame but if that opportunity was a few years ago they had upward pricing pressure (hence $200k high sales price) and lower interest rates bringing in more offers.

The price point entries in those communities are much lower and the cash flows are excellent with much less rental pressure on units and a better homes for sale ratio. 

Secondly, you're putting at least a little bit of pressure on them that you know, or think you know, what the price should be, and that has to sway them a little bit in my opinion.In my experience, appraisers are always low.

Pressure treated wood with ground contact is seems common from what I've seen.

If I borrow a down payment from a friend at 7%, there's no way the deal isn't doing to be cashflow negative, and that puts a ton of pressure on appreciation to make the deal worth doing, and every deal makes me less able to do another in the near term)... 

I think there's a lot of pressure on people these days to 'fit the norm' in so much as 'Well, this is the way they say it's meant to happen so I guess we have to do this...' even in situations where it doesn't necessarily suit. 

We have put so much pressure on ourselves.