@Supada L.Yes, burdensome unexpected costs are part of REI, but I'm curious about the inspection reports dating from last year that you mentioned. 

Though it wont be as up to date as an agent with the MLS.depending on how big of a lot you want you can also check out landwatch.com, they often have some good listings.If you have any more questions feel free to connect.

Personally I have never used a realtor for an off market purchase As of the date of this post.

If you wanted to share on a public forum, from the following I could determine (or contact a lender):  start date of loan, starting loan amount, length of loan (e.g. 30yr fixed). 

However, to your point about the contract, we wouldn't necessarily have to perform the contract in the event of not finding a buyer, IF the contract has a clause(s) allowing the buyer to back out prior to a certain date.

Comps that were bought maybe 6 months prior to the last sale date and renovated give you the most accurate depiction of where you need to buy it at. 

I think the preference is for more recent sales vs more dated sales, especially in a market like this. 

Namely, internet access, cameras, and wifi locks.

This creates an issue for the close date for the buyer & close date of new home. 

This is due to a combination of premier status, number of reviews and also VRBO has a Boost system where you earn points and you can boost your position for certain dates.