And also what do you think would be the best way to find out if my inquirer/investor is legitimate so i wouldnt be doing their work for nothing-after all it is Craigslist and they do not verify these things.

As well as verifying his claim of no capital outlay.Since he claims no capital outlay I would challange him to pay all those closing costs and fees, especially if it seems that your deal (at full cost) will have so little room for any error.

It is wise to have someone to fallback on to verify that all work was done properly IF there should be ANY future claims made.

Did you actually go over there and verify that the oven no longer works?

Sometimes the seats get a track thru them,,then they eat faucet washers faster than you can put them inIf it is washerless and probably a cartridge type,,its toss and replace AFTER taking old stuff to store to get new identical parts,,,then buy all other o rings also if there are any in the seal the cavity covers.

That sounds more like a walk through / closing inspection or the 14 day window of Buyer inspections to verify TDS etc.

Transactions must be arms length – no inappropriate collusion and no identity of interest between the buyer and seller or other parties.

Have you verified the rent and market?

Verify credit score.

Now, I will spend my time and money verifying the facts (my due diligence) and if all checks out, getting my title search to make sure I have no surprises lurking below the surface.