ill be able to do most of the work myself only paying for the electric and final pressure test.   

From experience if a building has been vacant for some time the gas lines need to be pressure tested, if the electrical meters are locked out or removed they need to have an ESOP once inspected & the required permit(s) signed off. 

Thats still big huge risk of simplifying the "what if"....again you dont know their skill level, or health of anyone reading your advise or reading what it meant that you "handled it yourself" or saying theirs "no risks"I have seen  landlords who tried follow remediation protocol still get very sick from over exposure to mold  damage from his own units and he appeared to know the steps with neg pressure, containment and ppe etc.

Even if plumbing is all new in the building if main is bad from the street to the building you can have water pressure, leaks in ground, and back up issues.That doesn't even get into knob and tube wiring, lead based paint, asbestos, old heating and cooling systems that are now outdated and must be replaced, ancient water heater systems, unpermitted or grandfathered additions over the years, etc.Ask the owner if they have a recent engineers inspection report of the property they can share with you.

Also, looking for available rentals in the zip code helps me gauge how many properties my property will be competing against for tenants, how many days have the rental listings been sitting, and lastly what condition the other rentals are in. 

However, I'll admit I'm avoiding reading up on the topic in order to keep my blood pressure somewhat near the levels of the living

With prices already at max and buyer fatigue inventory should increase slightly but pressures from the low cost of money will not significantly alter pricing.

Do not fall to the pressure of buying at the risk of doing financial harm. 

Should be enough pressure to make them back off. 

We always make sure they understand the deposit is non-refundable, which we accept after all the screening has been completed.It doesn't sound like a big deal but get a gauge of the tenants "why" and their overall feelings.