Agreed with Marc. 

If seller doesn't agree to reduce price, should I just back out of the deal and try to get my earnest money back?

Thank you, I agree.

In general I agree with that.

I agree with @Jacob Sherman here.

We saw the same thing across the country in the quintessential vacation markets like Florida and Tennessee. 

Class A neighborhoods and "highest rental cash flow" dont really go hand in hand in columbus Oh, and most likely many other markets in the country.

Agreed with the above statement.

We can absolutely agree to disagree on certain aspects of the business because end of the day, there are many ways to create value and help others achieve there goals.I actually create a post in the technology section called AI in Real Estate - What's Hype?

As an accountant, I would agree with the best practice you shared of handing out W9 forms to contractors at the first meeting or before payment.