I'd sidekick with someone who has been at this for a while and through a few cycles. 

A common issue is supply and demand effected by population changes, construction, economic issues, the job market and location.Personally I haven't seen vacancy issues at this time,  but I have gone through cycles of vacancy issues.

Not to knock schooling, I have an advanced degree myself, but I recognize that no one would work for me that I would want running my show.There is a lot showing in your frustration, I feel for you, but it's a challenging time in the industry and without experience and the advantage of having been through a few down cycles, you may just need to read about the down side of real estate to get to the next level.

You have the burden of proof that they knew about these issues and that the inspector was negligent.

OR requiring proof from them that they've put them in their name to get the keys for MoveIn.Water can be a challenge as some cities keep it in the owner's name only.

My accountant said as long as I keep all receipts for proof the money was used for renovations then it would be fine.I'm also wondering can I put 20% down and put the remaining funds into a new bank account that is separate from my personal accounts.

That would put you between probably $3500-4500 depending on dp, property taxes etc. 85k salary, let’s say you are taking on home 60k, like even with house hacking, you’d simply at best be extremely house poor, at worst would be challenged to afford the mortgage, the vast majority of people buying homes in our area at this point in the cycle for a variety of reason are dual income households, tbh for a single person making 85k a year, you are just much better off renting or moving to locol area if remote or hybrid.

There are pros and cons to each, and market cycles effect each differently, as does the metro you are in.

Proof of what the seller cares about exists in every transaction where the seller provides a concession to assist their buyers with their closing costs.Example 1, the Old way:Buyer offers $100k, seller pays 6%, seller nets $94k.

Banks understand economic cycles.