But I have been looking more and more into self-storage......so I guess if it was a free $20,000 just given to me to invest I may consider just attempting to secure a self-storage facility with a partner instead. 

So renting up a vacant unit and then attempting to doing owner move in on the other right after likely won't work.

If the lender has attempted to FC on numerous occassions and it has been settled, the borrower is holding an advantage in some form or another.

Introduced by realtor, no negotiations attempted.

I'm very handy and can fix anything, but my body is a dyslexic 37.

@Brandon Sturgill Setting your attempted distractions aside, let me call your own words back to mind.  

Then I work with the numbers until they tell me something I'm comfortable with and then make an offer if I decide it's worth an attempt.

I would use the inspection report and any other report received to attempt to lower the price to the $45k that you initially offered. 

Buyer has stopped responding to any messages and I asked daughter has she heard from them and she says no (either they are waiting to see if they will be able to get a loan or have changed their mind)...At the time daughter gave me a down payment she did not have a power of attorney yet so she did not sign a contract from me...The actual buyer never signed a contract from me (multiple attempts to see if I could email it etc)...2 part question:  Can I keep the deposit (receipt says non-refundable)? 

I am driving for dollars and when I come home with a list of distressed properties I would like to get the owner info easily and FREE so that I can attempt to locate the owner's phone number/address and cold call/direct mail.