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? 

. - 1,800 employeesFayetteville State University - 1,600 employeesFayetteville VA Medical Center - 1,397 employeesHarnett Health System - 1,135 employeesSmithfield Foods - 1,100 employeesCumberland County - 1,065 employeesFort Bragg is the largest employer in the Fayetteville metropolitan area, with a workforce of over 55,000 people.

And even the my Irish grandmother's voice in my head was saying the same thing.But in the two hours that the plumber was fixing the pipes, I followed up on and closed a deal that will make around $15K at signing and another $300 per month for 10 years.Hmmm...If I had listened to my father or my Irish grandmother whispering in my head, I'd have saved $600 but I'd have back pain for days and I might have missed out on a deal that will be worth around $50K total.I think I made the right call and it sounds like you'll do the same and let the experts take care of it.Finally, it took me a while to give in but I applied this to other parts of life as well.I hired a cleaning lady / cook / dynamo that comes to my house 2-3 times per week to clean my house and drop off healthy, pre-made tasty meals for $600 per week (plus the cost of food which is actually less than what I was paying before; honest to God, she's a miracle that I can't believe somebody let go.)Hey... there's that $600 again!