He evaluated the deal, negotiated the deal, got it under contract, advertised it and found a suitable buyer (you). 

Knowing this helps you define your own strategy when moving from being passive to being active and be able to chose investments that have attractive returns suitable for syndications.I hope this helps!

I can only say that if I were a seller, I would have 3 stipulations: 1, a healthy dose of earnest money, and 2, an escape clause that allowed me to continue shopping my own house around on my own while the wholesaler was doing the same thing, and 3, the obligation of the wholesaler to buy the house if they couldn't locate another buyer in a suitable amount of time. 

Maybe come up with more realistic rents and remember the vacancy factor while looking for suitable roommates.

I would recommend starting with living where you want in Seattle, then look for a property there that is suitable to Airbnb/ roommates.

If that's the case, why not just look for other suitable land lots to build on and forget about the overpriced duplexes and house that go with this property? 

House hacking would probably be the most cost effective way to go if you can find a suitable property.  

I was doing a pretty small kitchen so I had to find a remnant that was suitable.  

It can take some time if you have 10+ photos or a lot of rentals, but a free watermarking process is suitable for most Landlords.

I'm glad to know I don't have to send in any payment but do like to figure out how much I can spend should another suitable replacement rental come along.