Second, go to as many local meetups as you can find.

.- Shadowing another investor in my area- looking for openings in real estate management companies, or offering my helpOr..I could take my facilities job for the time being and save for an investment further down the roadI want to begin my investing as soon as I can but feel the opportunities that are available to me are a little limited due to my lack of experience and cash. 

It's because he had a willing and able buyer who planned to purchase the property at a steep price of $950,000.

Assuming you are the single member on the LLC, if the property holds the LLC you would not be a first time home buyer in Fannie/Freddie's eyes.  

@Jason ScottI would also take the higher rate and put less cash at closing as the delta as mention is $50/mo which means as long as you refi in next 4 years then taking the credit was the better choice.This is assuming the $50/mo does not have a significant impact on you and your finances.

G’dayHow do you track your expenses and find a balance between being a spendthrift and being too conservative?

I, personally, wouldn't continue to work with a buyer who tries to dictate how I negotiate, especially one who wants me to "repeat back ... how they'll present." 

@Adam ZbiciakI've been pricing these in the high 8's and low to mid 9's for most scenarios, similar to as you've described here.If you have a larger loan, stabilized with good cash flows, strong experience with 9+ properties, and strong liquidity, I've quoted these in the 5's (at par) at 55-60LTV with a Family Office I work with. 

They could have stated that the tenant needs to find a licensed contractor and provide their info/quote for owner approval and then pay the cost directly.

In fairness, that could be due to disruption from all of the construction.Our current PM has done a good job maintaining the property, but more and more I find myself having to get involved in day to day issues.