Has it delayed my investing career?

In NJ, right outside ManhattanPut an offer in December to purchase a condo with an initial close date of 2/4.Seller pushed back to close on 3/12 and after some deliberation we agreed since our lease was expiring on 3/16.Oil tank was found in the condo and confirmation letter sent on 1/22 to buyer.Oil tank still not removed and now further delays due to Coronavirus.My lease have run out, staying in a hotel with a 8 month old and wife with all stuff in storage locker.

I’m dealing with a seasoned investor who most likely is delaying till warm weather , and I’m stuck paying taxes . can I cancel the contract , on grounds the date has come and gone? 

Cats have minimal issues unless they start urinating outside the liter box.  

for corona delays I get that but to back out for ANY REASON I would not sign that contract as a seller. give time to work through the system sure.. but ANY REASON that's just tying up a property that the buyer knows they can walk at anytime. you would have people totally abusing you if you did this as a seller

Subject: COVID-19 pandemicDue to recent events all late fees forrent will not apply.We are asking you to contact us ifquestions or payment delays occur by email or text.We will be working with each of ourvalued tenants to reduce or delay payments as needed.  

I would like to start a conversation that addresses the following points:What can we do to minimize the risk of missed rent payments?

Once we hit 2020, things started to pick back up, but small delays came with the FHA board asking for different items/paperwork, etc.Come to the start of February, and the file stayed with underwriting for about 8 days.

I don't think that choosing to purposely delay the date of which the rental is first available by choice makes it "in service" at the time of that choice. 

I understand how important is it to build an educational foundation before getting started so I'm currently diving into all the below materials:- The Millionaire Next Door- The book on Rental Property Investing- The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No Money Down- Long-Distance Real Estate Investing- The Millionaire Real Estate Investor- What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cashflow- How I Turned $1,000 into a Million in Real Estate in My Spare Time- BiggerPockets podcastsI know there are a ton more helpful materials out there but in an attempt to prevent/minimize analysis paralysis, I wanted to limit myself to the top; however, if you guys have any strong recommendation that brought you immense value, please share and I'll add to the list.