And I'd add talk to local investors for positive and negative feedback, someone who is not trying to sell you anything. 

Instead of continuing to hire remediation contractors you should hire a hygenist to come in, do some testing and provide a remediation plan.

I would love to talk with a lender to get a better handle on the products that help investors BUT in my strategy, I am leaning toward NOT using hard money at first(if I can avoid it).

I’m committed to keeping my options open and continuing to learn about being a landlord to ensure I’m well-prepared for my first purchase.To improve my ability to analyze deals, I’ve developed a two-part plan:Join a local BP meet-up group to discuss my goals and support others.Continue learning and engaging with the BP forum.Thank you again for your guidance—it’s truly appreciated!

Time to start talking to other lenders.

Realistically you would expect the house to continue to appreciate during that time as well... even if at 3.33% appreciation - that is another $50,000 in appreciation you would make in the 3 years - give or take.  

Yes, I am talking with an attorney tomorrow as there are a lot of pieces here.

You should be able to login to the CRM to see what deal they are talking about. 

I did send an email to Support but have not received a response and cannot find a number to talk to anyone. 

Are you going to continue your investing locally?