The whole process has felt pretty complex to me, but this seems like a big hurdle has been overcome.  

One thing that I recommend every newbie does....overcome or find a solution to one roadblock that your having every day.

FYICreative deals are RARELY done with risk adverse listing agents and their broker manager - boss.Thats why I like expired, canceled and long days on the market listings, they want to sell and hate their agent's ability to get a cash buyer. 

The agent negotiates on behalf of and acts as an advocate for the seller.The seller’s agent must disclose to potential buyers all adverse material facts actually known by the seller’s agent about the property.

I am about to start the process of shopping for conventional loan rates and getting pre-approved, but am concerned if I shop too much within a short time period it will adversely affect my credit score.Does every loan inquiry during the shopping process negatively affect your credit or is there a "grace" period after the first inquiry?

Might just need to move on for now, seller may have some challenges to overcome in selling it - and it could still be available when we have a more clear timeline.  

There could be a lot of reasons why they are adverse to using it; they want actual cash into the deal, don't want mix assets, too much hassle to babysit another property, etc.

But if you have a track record of being able to close that should be easy to overcome.

Should I be worried about Adverse Possession or Tacking or Easement by Prescription, if I have several relatives who have deer / dove hunted in the back acreage for over 20 years?  

Adversely, a fund that is targeting 8% has a little bit of a buffer as rates rise and fall due to the discount they would have to apply in order to achieve the return.