Luckily structural/engineering reports came back great and inspections didnt call out anything significant.The numbers:Bought the home off market and paid my real estate friend to set up all the contractual information and represent me.

It can take longer for a sec 8 tenant to move in as you are working at the speed of a government program and an inspection has to happen. 

Second, all I have at risk of losing if I walk away from the deal is the cost of inspection and appraisal. 

By the way, he doesn't have to be entirely done, just needs to have called for inspection.

I heard PSEG will service boilers but will charge about $300 alone just for an inspection before any repairs .

We know now to have a detailed inspection before we purchase.

Based off of how their inspections are a bit more strict for VA home loans I’m assuming most of the contractors should be good?

It's a long story but she was in a legal battle so I've been doing inspections on the property once a month for the last year. 

Consider allowing for such instances in your budget.An Architect with a crew to do the work that he/she has used in the past might be a budget saver in the long run.Watch your property tax increases as you build out and once you are done--some places tax percent complete and time over runs with no income coming in eat into the budget.Actual colors can be a pain, consider having an in-situ (that's latin by the way) color board area on the building where you can try a few similar colors (and finishes) live and live with them for a week or so before deciding on an exact palate and finish.The more specific you can be (the more you know exactly what you want) the less Architect time you will burn.Using someone who has recent build experience in your area, with similar projects may help prevent costly errors re inspection times, and local code knowledge during budgeting... ie does your HVAC have to pass retail inspection, or Mall inspection...a costly difference, especially once in place.

Most educational resources out there seem to go from Step A: Make an offer to Step B: Inspections to Step C: Close on Property and start managing.