I took my inspection report and for a couple dollars had a VA put every item into categories of possible repairs / preventative maintenance such as water, electrical, safety, cosmetics.

At this point Massachusetts really only allows evictions for “safety reasons”.

Still, the new unit will be subject to the commercial code ($) with additional construction and safety requirements.

Any service person who comes to the house should be wearing a mask and taking the proper safety precautions. 

But at the end of the day it all came together, and we had a very patient seller (not surprising with COVID, I suppose - they didn't want our deal to fall through).  

A decent low cost breakfast, luggage storage, safety boxes, daily activities such as bar outings, outgoing staff to engage with the guests, and a good cleaning department will have you as top hostel on Hostelworld in no time.

I also have access to a relatively substantial amount of HELOC money, we keep it as a safety net, but would it be wiser to draw that down and use that for the down payment?   

Learned to be patient, especially during the time of 2007-2009.

"Mental patient released due to Covid terrorizes out of work families barely keeping it together" has to sell somewhere.

Another thought process is that the seller could have simply refused to vacate but instead is willing to give us a safety deposit and a monthly rent and hence is not thinking of staying without our permissions.