MISTAKE, but he brought it on himself trying to be considerate. 

Before you ask, I've been corresponding with the seller on various things, and he's been very helpful, so I know this was an innocent mistake.  

For new investors, the fears are the unknown of being taken advantage of, of losing money, of making mistakes, of coming across as a novice...so, if you plan on doing business with these people, anticipate those fears and address them.

Read everything on Bigger Pockets and try a cheap rental with 2x cash flow...The mistakes, lessons, etc will be cheaper than a "guru" and you might make some money. 

You'll do fewer deals but they will be safer, which I think is more important for someone newer who might make more mistakes.

I say talk to as many people as you can and it’s nice to learn from others mistakes.3.

It doesn't make sense because it could be that he did everything right, but the builder made a mistake.

I'm about to make you more frustrated...and far less frustrated...at the same time.You're frustrated because you're doing it all wrong...and the biggest mistake you're making came close to making things worse. 

A lot of which we have been able to navigate through so that we don't repeat any of the same mistakes.

Everything looks better on the internetFinding a partner on the ground will allow you to avoid making an expensive mistake.