@Allan Smith There are ways of getting a cost segregation done for less than $1,000 if you are willing to accept a conservative result.

Accepting this deal aligns with your goals of scaling sustainably.

This is why it is important to have appropriate insurance and even more importantly making sure your actions are not listed under exclusions in coverage. 

Wait for accepted offer.Or are you doing a tour before you put in an LOI?

Your only real question here is how much additional equity can you earn before you sell before the rate resets and before you lose your capital gains exclusion, versus the opportunity costs if you sold and cashed out now.

The husband accepted this lien from Veterans Affairs while being ill-equipped to do so due to his severe PTSD.

Don’t waste time with buyers/sellers/borrowers that won’t give you an EXCLUSIVE; if you do you’re competing with every other financial intermediary or broker and even if you’re successful probably won’t get paid4.

Anyways, assuming she accepts, does any of this make sense? 

I'm not the most handy and have thought of taking a person knowledgebale in home improvement or a handyman to tour the property with me (after my offer is accepted) to gauge potential issues with the home and have a better idea of the home's condition before I have the home inspection.

They require you to sign an exclusive agreement with them.