Hi Lawrence, 3 quick pointers:1. it's normal to be nervous with doing anything for the first time 2. over prepare, practice your scripts and role play3. it's just a conversation, don't sweat itAlso make sure you know what the goal of your call is.

I normally do a rough estimate alone prior to the offer, then have a contractor quote it in option period - honestly I dont even do that anymore, I just go a little more detailed into the numbers and make sure they are around what my contractor normally charges.

Is this normal? 

The request for 2% to cover closing costs seems fairly normal especially if they are more than ok with paying asking price. 

What would lead you to believe that a 50% premium could be charged over normal long term rental rates, just for a furnished property?

We are not in a normal world.

Be mindful that there are rules that the lenders want you to check off.Furthermore, there are other rules on the tax side where you want to normally be under to get the most tax benefits.The magic number in both instances is '14 days'Lenders want you to stay atleast 14 days to meet the secondary home requirement.The tax accountant normally wants you to stay less than 14 days or 10% of the days it was used as a rental to treat it as a rental and not as a personal residence.Best of luck!

I was just a normal guy with a normal job and I went out there and did it.

I have been using a deal analyzer spreadsheet that I found some time ago and that has served me well for analyzing "normal" deals with a downpayment and lender financing. 

I spoke with my insurance agent I normally use about getting a policy on the property to get rid of my lender placed insurance, and then adding the new buyer as additionally insured.