With this in mind, is it better to say I am interested in purchasing the house and then risk be ignored if they aren't interested, or simply say I wish to speak with them concerning a matter on the  house, for example, so they would need to call to find out what the issue is, and I can remove them from future efforts if they aren't interested?

The location does not really matter; it is more of a personal preference. 

If documents of your transaction are in error and you have an insured closing, costs to correct the matter are covered.

@Jerome Brown  welcome, a lot of us have bounced back from 07-08, it doesn't matter how far your fall-it matters how high you bounce! 

Any one that has built one in the austin area, or anywhere for that matter?

If your end buyer is serious about the deal and is an actual player, the amount won't really matter because they plan to go through with it anyways.  

And as the owner she is a successor-in-interest, which is what matters per CA Civil Code. 

I'd explain your dilemma, ask if it will be a problem complying with a no smoking policy, then maybe compromise if they say they won't stop, like you'll take it month-by-month with them, but if there are any complaints about their smoking or it's causing problems where other units feel they can smoke, too, or preventing people from living there to avoid the smoke, then you'll have to give them notice to leave, no matter how much you'd like to accommodate.  

The older generations did not have computers, cell phones, financial calculators, ...etc, but they had a lot of common practical sense and deeper understanding of life matters.

I use to have a different account for each, but then banks started charging fees for accounts that basically weren't being used so I lost half my account (The other half I have free for life no matter what because of the promo when I opened them).