You may get competitive bidding and even a cash buyer that doesn't notice the roof or is willing to replace themselves.

I chose to enter REI via the wholesaling path due to a lack of capital needed for direct buy and flip.

The stock is low and super competitive though.In addition, if you are in the western mass area, I know of a great real estate meet up occurring soon.

Personally I'd go with your gut feeling if the communication is "lacking" from the start, unresponsive on phone calls/texts/emails, or they don't fill out the application in a timely manner.

it got better to what it was three months ago but is still competitive.

You would need to weigh this against the need for the Solo 401k to make payments and any lack of security that would create for you personally.

I am extremely new to all this so please excuse my lack of knowledge

Let alone how competitive the market is here, they could just find another buyer.My big concern is that the property doesn't have central air and I would be installing that with ducts going through the attic (no crawlspace) immediately during the first month after closing.

What if, the experience that the new investor gained over time by educating himself gave him the ability to find deals in apartment buildings but still never physically experienced it and one day he decides to connect with the type of people that could make this project come together, like a general contractor, property management, real estate attorney, real estate broker, CPA, and a private lender but know in the middle of the loan application he lacks having a track record.

Depending on the market it may be difficult to find a deal so getting a deal off market with no competition is a plus.