Unfortunately many elderly folks do not want to sell until after one spouse passes and the $250k does not make it work, especially if there was a refinance or HELOC or medical bills. 

I believe adverse possession in TX requires open and notorious possession for a period of years, three, five or ten depending on the circumstances. 

I like NoVa but the price points seem out of my range unfortunately!

Unfortunately you may need to lower somewhat, $1175 total monthly is pushing it for a 1br that isn't new construction.. 

Unfortunately I'm not very familiar with the local areas but I'd be looking for a livable area for myself that's convenient but also not in a very pricey neighborhood

Unfortunately, I think that she is trying to stay as long as possible.

Unfortunately, too many inspectors give less than complete reports since they don't want to sink the deal which may be passively encouraged by many agents who focus on commissions.It's a two-way street but I would be careful accepting sub-standardinspections since any negligence will (like it or not) have your name attached to it.

Unfortunately not all Turn Key providers are built the same so find what matters to you and figure out which provider satisfices majority of your wants/needs.

If I had to end up paying a $75 bill to "pick & choose" my battles and put parameters in place to keep me out of situations like that in the future, that's probably what I'd do, but really depends on the circumstances once you find out what's really going on.

Unfortunately I had one where it was a SF in a multi neighborhood by a college, and the projected rents justified the price.