I intend to pursue the same route that you did: FHA loan and negotiate to have closing costs covered.How did you approach the conversation about the closing costs?

I plan to have a sit down, no distraction conversation with my spouse soon.

Have that conversation with them too....that they're personally on the hook if the business doesn't work out...until you can get it released at full price.

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We work on garage conversion and new construction ADUs, and we see a lot of these detached 2+2 car garages behind multiunit buildings.They are almost always in pretty bad shape structurally -- footings aren't deep enough, roof framing is too small and too widely spaces, roof framing is running side-to-side rather than front-to-back (so we have to put beams in and additional footings in when we remove portions of the walls that separate parking bays), ceiling height is too low, etc.

Here's how the first conversation went:I spoke to Bill on the 20 minute phone consultation.

@Daniel Lynch  I would say have a conversation with your GF. 

Now I will say if the tenant begin to nitpick at a lot of little things then, I would have a conversation with them about each other expectation on the property.  

For this conversation, I'll assume that is the property you are referencing.First, it is an unapproved short sale, not a post-foreclosure. 

Verbal conversations hold no weight.