I was doing non recourse SIDRA loans and the students would put 50% down and I would fund the balance.. normally sold 20 to 30 homes that last day and I probably financed 10 of them or so..

What that means is that even if you "overpay" for a property today, there's a pretty good chance that the normal rate of inflation and general appreciation is going to make you look like a genius 30 years from now. 

Normally when people ask about something like this, they are looking for a quick way to survey markets, but that's not a great idea if you guys are brand new.

Yes, it's normal for lenders to ask you to unfreeze your credit until closing.

In that case, I would have normal pest control for the property which would include spraying for fleas & ticks. 

Unfortunately very few who seek out these assets take the time to consider their exit and fail to realize they are the most costly assets to exit, let me explain why: Here's how that disposition process to an owner occupant looks: -You will incur turn over expenses associated with vacating the tenant in preparation of the sale -The natural buyer in this price point is the FHA buyer who will normally seek a 5-6% seller assist  -Passing a Section 8 inspection/preparing a home for a low income tenant is very different than the expectations of a home owner,   particularly the FHA buyer who cannot afford to take on any deferred maintenance.

I would look for a custodian who does not charge a fee based on your assets.I normally see the costs being A one time set-up fee along with an annual reoccuring fee.The thing you want when opening up an SDIRA is that the return that you will make with alternative investments will be greater than the fee that is charged to you for the SDIRA plus the return you would have likely gotten with a regular IRA.

Normally, this fee is added when it is a flat fee service, or the owner is difficult to work with on pricing.Working with contractors is a difficult task filled with frustrations and missing timelines.

They don't really care so much about facts, reality, what's good or bad, they just want a giant damn snickers to cram in there pie-hole, and to feel guilt free when there doing it.Now before ya-shake your fist in the air over the collective stupidity/insanity of it all keep in mind, these are the same kids that we all decided to raise where nobody got 1st, 2nd or 3rd place anymore, no-no-no, we said that would hurt feelings so we decided regardless of actions EVERYONE got a medal, the exact same medal. 

So how do you normally approach these conversations when you are negotating.