Let me know if you are interested...the food is epic too at the restaurant we are having it:)

A skilled trade such as what you're pursuing is a solid plan and can put food on the table in any economy.I would strongly suggest you complete your schooling.

I like @Bill F. comments  punctuality is really important in the real estate game.. and great communication skills.no one likes dealing with someone that takes 3 days to get back to them or wont answer their phone and hides behind text messaging.. we are in the communication age ( instant) learn that.One last pearl one of my business partners was quite accomplished ( president of Stauffer foods) president of Beringer wines in Napa.. ( that's were we met member of the same country club.. )But as we did business together over the years..

People don’t sue people that qualify for food stamps.

Just some food for thought!

Just some food for thought.

With them being section 8 I would personally offer them a gift card from a local food store to replace what was in the frig as it will have gone bad after a few days.

We could meet at Incendiary since its outside and has beer and/or food within easy reach. 

Lastly, any other advice or food for thought since this is my first time going through this process?

I realize how exciting it is to be on the brink of your first investment, but there are plenty of other fish in the sea here and like @Patti Robertson said if you have 200k to spend there are lots of other deals that meet and exceed minimum investing standards within that dollar range.A few foods for thought:If your friend is will to sell it to you for 200k, and it's value after he finishes fixing it up is 245k, then why not sell it to an owner/occupant outright, gather your profit (potentially 25k-ish) and find another lease option deal that the numbers work better on?