If the seller already has a mortgage in place, one that could foreclose on the property, would you insist on taking the "deed subject to"?

When you said service the HVAC I was thinking of them coming out and basically checking everything and cleaning a few things up (what they do when home inspectors insist that HVAC units be serviced before purchasing).

They insisted on listing at $310, which wasn't so far off that I complied.

The house needs some cosmetic work but appears to be a reasonable shape (obviously I would insist on inspection).This is significantly more complicated than my last deal. 

I have a sub that I use who has multiple licenses and is basically a 3 man crew, i wanted to give the contract to him but after he insisted 3 times that he will do the job in 3 weeks by himself plus two others what would take  a 1 week job of mine with 8 guys, I decide to award it to another contractor.

When speaking with a local agent, he insisted that I shouldn't purchase without seeing the property.  

Even though they insist they only sell new ones, if you make it a good enough deal they might bite.

I did one year in college with a major in economics (my Dad insisted on the major).

Would you insist on signing a new lease or, at a minimum, an addendum to the lease?

He insisted everyone needs to have their own financial statement and play it in the game.