He was considering my house a remodel even though I stated everything in the home is original and that I was only repairing damage from the foundation and making some minor updatesHe required that I get an electrical permit for 5 new lights I had an electrician run for me.

Submit offers and negotiate terms with sellers, being prepared to walk away if the deal doesn't meet your requirements.

Looks like a fixer upper and requires extensive improvements.ill check it out, but my guess is it will exceed what im looking for

VA loans typically require no down payment and have competitive interest rates.

If you can secure a lease option it MIGHT be valuable, but will require significant due diligence by a solar developer (available capacity, environmental due diligence, location to substation, 3 phase power lines etc.).

No self employment required.  

Only the first option requires a new deed.However, for a note, a more common way is to give him a mortgage to secure the note, and you'd record the mortgage at the court house.

Of course, talk to your lender as they will know with certainty what that time requirement is.

It's been great in years past, however, due to saturation and stricter registration/compliance requirements, bookings have really dried up here and many are converting to longer-term rentals. 

For example in and around DC some jurisdictions charge insane fees for new builds ($40k school impact fee) and have very challenging code requirements (sprinkler systems in homes..)Anything crazy like that?