Really averaging a little over an hour per property could certainly be reasonable depending on the circumstances.Hourly billing can be tricky - I would inquire respectfully of what created the increase over the prior year.

The numerous disclosures are in place to give the parties ample opportunity to pursue remedies prior to closing.  

One of the prior commandants made a big deal out of keeping the junior Marines in the barracks (good move).

Sometimes a seller will have inspections done prior to listing a property as a marketing ploy, but it is still up to the buyer to perform their own inspections.

Definitely worth the investment to make sure everything is setup right from the beginning, or at least prior to your first tax filing!

You can close on a VA loan up to 90 days prior to inhabiting, which means you have 90-120 days to search for quality deals before you either need to pull the trigger, or decide to rent (nothing wrong with that, depending on your situation and the market).

This was all prior to this coronavirus scare. 

Although most of the survey was conducted before the virus intensified, it provides good evidence that the U.S. was on a solid footing economically prior to the outbreak.

Shouldn’t he have done this research prior to making me an offer?

Depending on the bank they may require that you have held title for six months prior to the refi.