I don't mean to be disrespectful, however if you carry your 'I know for a fact' attitude into the bank, you have probably not compelled the right people to want to help you.Since people want to do budiness with people they know and like, if you are an unknown quantity from an unknown source, you're just another smart person who knows the language of money. 

So, if you are serious pay it, if not or if it's not a good deal don't waste your money.If I were a seller in a hurry to sell and it was costing me $XXX per day while someone had it tied up while they shopped a buyer I would want assurances they were going to close and  one way is by having a nonrefundable fee. 

My advice is to shop around and see what other realtors are charging in your area.

I'd like to think I'm smart enough to make this happen (although currently feel very overwhelmed) and I definitely have the work ethos.

Your credit shouldn't take a big hit from shopping around for a mortgage.There are programs to get people into their first home.

Certainly you can shop the house to investors, check Zillow, get two or three realtor opinions, and with the feeding frenzy that exists, someone else may see upside in being able to make a profit for putting in the efforts, and might pay you a retail price for the current condition. 

I was shopping for my own house about a year ago.

NVHomes is an offshoot of Ryan and focuses on higher end SFHs, but I haven't heard one way or the other about their quality.Anyway, this is a good question, and I'd also be interested in knowing if there's a one-stop-shop for those types of ratings.

You will need to be prequalified again in May, or whenever you are starting to shop.  

There is a lot to consider: closing costs... potential agent commissions... fewer buyers if "Peter" decides to close shop and not execute the option (meaning carrying costs for you).