And truly it would be very difficult to give any sort of practical advise without understanding more of your financial picture.

Also like any other business, they will attempt to justify their higher costs on the benefits to you the buyer/borrower (e.g. customer service, etc.).  

Even though a majority of the custom homes I did wanted tankless because they were cool and green....Most tanks last far longer than the expected 10 years and the new ones are very efficient.....Did a search ...https://www.consumerreports.or...Main takeaways are: 1) they are very close to the same cost to operate per year 2) the payback time on the tankless is about 25 years.....Plus tanked heaters are a good source of water storage in the event of an event like earthquake or such.....

Found on the MLS with a one picture listing.

I should’ve asked PM to send me more pictures or video  before I ordered the appraisal. 

Or, maybe better, do find a house that would ultimately make a good rental and purchase (one that is not too large, not too custom to keep costs down because the higher priced the home the harder it will be to cashflow as a rental), and consider conventional investor financing perhaps and rehab it and rent it out. 

This is an opportunity to meet the Tenants personally, document the condition of the home so you have a starting point (I use pictures), and see if they have any complaints, questions, or maintenance issues.2.

I found a duplex on the MLS that's in bad shape and am trying to estimate the rehab costs (pictures below). 

There are signs of foundation issues like water leakage in the past, cracks, repairs done on crack, doors not aligning and locking, small step like crack on the front of the house brick wall (picture attached) however inspection confirmed no foundation issues, so thinking of getting professional to look into foundation.

There are signs of foundation issues like water leakage in the past, cracks, repairs done on crack, doors not aligning and locking, small step like crack on the front of the house brick wall (picture attached) however inspection confirmed no foundation issues, so thinking of getting professional to look into foundation.