Should Escrow fail to close in a timely manner through no fault ofBUYER, SELLER shall promptly remit to Escrow all funds received by SELLER and shall order all Depositsremitted by BUYER to SELLER or Escrow, to be refunded to BUYER within fifteen (15) days after the estimatedclosing date specified in this Purchase Agreement, or any mutually agreed upon extended closing date."

I have been wondering for my own knowledge- when determining comps, is it more beneficial to look at similar square footage or similar number of bed/baths? 

It must work for the home owner and the lesser optioning the house, the benefit is mutual, and now the agent can benefit from the transaction as well.

The four primary levers (or beneficial aspects) of real estate investing are:CashflowTax benefitsAppreciation EquityYou could start 2 decades from now and still benefit greatly from REI (primarily through Cashflow and Tax Benefits), but your potentially extended horizon means you will participate in each of these areas. 

But if you add up all those extra hours working towards something beneficial, eventually it pays off. 

Going through the exercise of exploring your needs would really be beneficial here and that's what you've done exactly.

The feeling is mutual. 

We share the mutual goal of cash flow paying for lifestyle.  

The realtor (who represents both parties) is recommending that I sign a mutual release and that the seller reimburse me for $168 for 1/2 of the title cost. 

Besides the questions I asked, please provide any input that you see beneficial in my situation.