I put a credit card on file at a local coffee shop that is a town favorite and bought coffee for everyone who came through until I hit $200.

Would you use a credit card to furnish your rental? 

You're correct; for ethical reasons, realtors can't explicitly say if an area is "good or bad."

That is when we came in to put in an offer with the condition of seller credit since most of the CapEx items were old and units needed work.

My credit is at 650 and his is in the 500-550 range.

Yet, 83% of respondents still thought it was a “bad time to buy.”

I'd be curious to know more about your good & bad deals.

this sounds like a bad situation.My suggestion is to start with looking at this from a pure investment scenario first (where both units are rented), and if the numbers work (I seriously doubt the do) then look at it from a owner occupied angle.

I'm in Texas Thank you  Run background, no felonies, credit not less than 580, no evictions last 5 years, income 3x or so of the rent 

If the investment under performs, I am at fault, and if the investment over performs, I deserve the credit.