I'm a full time Naval Officer, getting close to retirement.

You may need to politely remind them that having a judgement from a landlord could make it difficult for them to rent in the future.If their goal here is to save money, having you take them to court is the last thing they probably want or need.

This will differ, depending on the locality, local laws and political commitment to implementation of technology. 

I also have an office in China and both manufacture and import products from overseas.

Our attorney is Jeff Ehrlich (he has a Court St office), and we loved how he navigated us through BS versus the norm.

Should I wait to find a deal before meeting with the loan officer?

A lot of their back office operations are moving to the DE/Wilmington area.

You usually get better pricing through a title company for legal work than through an attorney's office.

The U.S. have plenty of natural resources, stable economy and political environment.

I was very candid about my intentions with my loan officer.Now, based on my income and situation, my loan officer told me that I qualify to purchase this home as a second/vacation home.