Only electricians can buy these items, and they have to be certified by the company to use it, which means it's a pretty costly solution.

We were happy to not have to worry about the exterior or systems - that would have made the whole project a lot more scary for us given the distance and potential costs of those items.  

As far as compliance and coaching that is a process that can be dealt with on an outsourced basis as much as it would be with a internal employee, and we have our servicer to fall back upon on items that cannot meet compliance issues with an outsourced asset.

The loan officer should have prepared you for all the items needed to get this done.2 months is too long!

Anyway security deposits are to repair damage caused by the tenant not to repair routine wear and tear items.  

Should I call out the damaged items during the walk through?

Junk yards typically have battery acid leaks, motor oil leaks, gasoline spills and other items relating to electronics.

This budget works depending on the area you are looking.If you don't like how your agent is performing, then get another one, but ask yourself are you being realistic in your search (An example would be looking for a duplex in Northern Liberties, or Point breeze with your budget and all your wish list items checked.

I called several lenders and one was 75% LTV, one was extremely slow so I pulled the application, and another was 80% (who I went with).The refinanced property had everything practically new (wiring, plumbing, kitchens, bathrooms, decks, etc.) with few items less than 5 years old (roof, siding, furnaces/AC), but the windows were 10 years old. 

This is one of those major items to double check for when calculating repairs and making an offer.