It would boost federal tax revenue in the short term then cause a major shock to the market.

Property is on two acres of land, so currently investigating additional ways to boost cash flow such as solar energy, separate garage lease, etc..

The nice thing about renting the property prior to settlement (lease start date must be the day after your purchase settlement day):You start out with a cash flow boost, because you pay mortgage in the "rear" so you have no mortgage due for 30 days, and the rent is paid to you in advance.If you purchase a property with no money down, than this setup creates a situation where  you have a free month of rent at the time of settlement, in other words "you get paid" for purchasing the property.

You might at least consider it to see if you can dramatically increase your gross income.  

There are excepts to both.Conventional, non-federally insured loans, can vary dramatically and are governed by the lender's own underwriting guidelines.As with most things in lending, you will likely have more flexibility and leeway with smaller, local, portfolio lenders. 

And the price of entry for renting is dramatically less than for buying.Buying a residence is also a form of economic handcuffs.

From everything I've read the sellers definition of "just needs a little TLC" can vary dramatically from what your buyer would considered "a little bit".

I don think it's fake, but a dramatization.

The following ways can help boost your score-  pay on time, increase your credit line as much as possible, payoff a big portion of the outstanding balance before running the credit check 

There is also some exterior work needed to boost the curb appeal.