There's nothing in your post that indicates you even have an idea about what you are trying to do so going to meetups is a great first step.

A buyer put an offer in at a relatively good price after spending significant time with the seller and indicating how he planned to improve and personally run the business after purchase.

Quote from @Steven Gesis:  Important takeaway is due diligence review, not only deal level but sponsor track record - yes, past performance is not indicative of future results, but at least it's a metric to review.   

What does this indicate?

Start by examining population growth, as cities or neighborhoods with steady increases in residents indicate a thriving area with potential renters. 

It "can" indicate a certain financially disciplined person, but there is a reason DTI determines a mortgage and if it's good enough for the bank, well why wouldn't it be smart for the landlord too? 

If you would like me to obtain a quote for replacement, please indicate your desire to pay the cost of the replacement and we will obtain bids.

I would choose Candidate #2 providing you have acceptable verification of their income - bank statements that multiply out to what the past couple years tax returns indicate on the business.

Those are normally a good indicator of what you will need to know. 

The jump from the first appraisal to the second ($2.40M to $2.65M) indicates potentially increasing market value, possibly due to staging and improvements.3.