I just encountered the same thing and my insurance agent is raising an eyebrow... after reading this bit here... am i right to raise my eye brow at my agent, lol?

What I mean by this is look at their stock charts and see if they encountered a big drop thanks to COVID. you'll likely find many REITS and financial stocks that did so.

The lesson may be obvious to you but not others: One of the unfortunate aspects of successful real estate investing is that we encounter the 'garage sale of civilization' (term appropriated from Cantu) and we get to deal with their bad behavior.

The hardest part I have encountered when doing this - if rezoning - is getting council buy-in on the proposed site. 

Take a deep breathe, dedicate some time to come up with a plan that has reasonable solutions to the problems encountered (bad smell, necessary rehabs, new tenant) and execute. 

We have not encountered any tenants who did not have a smart phone, but depending upon your target market this could help screen out tenants you don't want anyway.

Their agent, who was one of the worst agents I've ever encountered, probably doesn't understand how any of this works, probably talked them out of it.Was originally listed for $525k and we bought it for $443k with a new roof and a fairly long list of stuff being fixed at their expense. 

He plans on having another open house soon and I would like to attend it.To be more prepared for either my next encounter with him, or another home owner, what questions should I ask?

I actually did sign up for this and spoke with some lenders who are very legit and encountered some scammers as well.

Indeed, I can consult with an attorney for "official" advice, but I'm curious if anyone else encountered such an issue.If it was my fault for missing the date, there would have been consequences (e.g., keep my down payment and exit deal)What consequence can they face for this delay?