I trust him and believe this to be a good thing but our mentoring relationship is quite new.

As well, an inspection 'should' uncover any issues / damage and can be addressed in the PSA vs doing it after contract and used for 're-negotiations'.Good luck.

It's critical as an out of state investor to build a team that you trust to advise you

I'm working on finding my first deal in Atlanta and could really use the advice of a trusted contractor.

When I address FSBOs I'm coming from the investor standpoint to purchase their property through one of the above mentioned strategies.BUT, if they don't like those options, I can always be put on the back burner for a traditional listing when need be!

I really need a number I can trust and not fudged like you said.

These are often called portfolio lenders because they keep their deals in-house and only have to get it to pass muster with the bank's board of directors (BOD), or some long-term, trusted loan officers have a limit up to which they can approve loans without consulting the BOD. 

Write down each address you find and then follow up in some way. 

Most of an agent's business comes from referrals and what better/easier way to start your career than to have someone who already knows/trusts you as a client?

If you trust the person who is taking care of the heater, ask if there are signs of tampering, damage, etc.