I'm not a contractor or flipper, but I think you should focus more on what the ARV is rather than trying to back into the seller's expenses.

It's possible that they heard a little bit too much from the fair housing commission and are now considered a "professional tenant"Usually these people will not listen keep withholding payment, and take advantage of the system as much as possible.

Usually it does not stay this way for long, and then they either raise their prices or fire you.Many CPAs keep their rates low by relying on technology and outsourcing.

Yes, there are a lot of people who spend less than they make and have a surplus.There are others who are inheriting wealth from othersBut there is another subset that we often forget: those who have equity in their homes.Much of the equity has built up due to a runup in home values since 2020, which allows these people to use a HELOC to purchase a home for cash.When rates were low there was a group of people who were using Hard money to purchase and rehab buildings and then refinancing at the end this was the BRRR strategy.Hard Money is not an option these days since the cost of refinancing at the end of the project is too expensive.So when we see people paying cash, it is often pent-up savings and HELOC money that people use, and not as often Hard Money.

The rules are for the lender as they're the ones that require you to live in the property for usually a year in order to qualify as a homeowner. 

I could get a personal loan for $50,000 to furnish your home and the monthly payment would be less than $1,000.

All will require a non-refundable deposit (usually $2000 - $5000), most have a "transaction fee" or "admin fee" (usually $295 - $600), and all with require you to pay for the double closings costs unless they can assign the contract to you.  

When you donate appreciated securities that you have held for more than one year, you can avoid paying capital gains tax on the appreciation.

If you have carpentry skills, its more fun than installing carpet!

The only issue really is that this is not considered an "arms length transaction" so if you were going to a bank they may more hoops to jump through or lend less than they would in an arms length transactions or even pass on it.