Don't let emotions cloud your judgment. 

I was emotionally drained after sitting with him for that long..

REI is a different mind set...we are not emotionally attached to the house and looking for the perfect whatever like a person that was looking for a house they will be living in.

Never rush into a deal and never buy an investment property base on emotions or gut feelings.  

Lessons learned:As a newbie, understand that your emotions may betray you, and you may get excited about REI at the exact wrong time. 

A lot of emotion creeping into this thread...

(I'm trying not to let my aesthetic "emotions" get the best of me..I'm a designer..) 

@Jessica WoodSelling a house is an emotional thing for most people.

This is your money so dont let your emotions cloud the math.

Tenants say a bunch of things and follow through on a few.I would congratulate and send a restaurant gift card of say 25 or 50 bucks when they close on their house.Just because you are family DOES NOT mean you can enter someone's private residence without their consent.I can see where they were upset and it's an invasion of privacy and a safety and security issue.I would take the high road and put emotion out of it.Good karma sometimes gets good karma back but bad karma will most certainly give you a confrontation and a bad outcome most of the time.