Would you recommend replacing the carpet with new carpet, or going with a hard surface, such as laminate or wood of  some type?  

I then decided to dig past the surface and see what affects this will really have.

The lot is ~300 ft. deep.You might have to consider percent impervious surface area if your building department requires that ...

These hidden feelings do not surface until we reach a point where we are moving beyond what is our normal comfort level. 

The finish surface will be measured in mils (12 - 40 mil).  

Unless the mould is very minor, it pays to have it remediated by a professional and the surfaces treated to prevent regrowth from any mycelium not completely killed.We've used both hydrogen peroxide (fair and safe) and a product called Concrobium Mould Control to remove mould growth from wood an other porous surfaces (do not use bleach unless you are cleaning a hard, non-porous surface such as tile ... even then, hydrogen peroxide is safer for the person doing the cleaning).The foam soffit vents / baffles are cheap to purchase and installing them is relatively simple DYI project (provided you are comfortable crawling around in the attic).  

While school is valuable and you do learn a lot it is true you are just scratching the surface of things to learn.After passing the exam make sure you choose a broker who will put time into your training.

.* On the surface, some of their deals sound like a licensed broker is required to make the transaction (e.g. negotiating to sell someone else's property directly with another buyer). 

HVAC is a lot more complicated than it seems on the surface.

On the surface this property looks like a great deal from my preliminary analysis and if there is no other major competition, I'm optimistic we can win the bid at 60% of the property's value (no more than 70%).