The savings are so obvious that I would feel silly not to spend the time learning how to operate privately with a seller.

As a military family - I feel every sentence of this post in my heart.

I've paid larger firms focused on real estate and while I did feel they provided better overall service, I paid exponentially higher for it. 

The pipes were in perfect working order before but almost feel like this event has saved me something bigger down the road.

If their terms are worse than your regular loan, then you should have your answer.Hope that makes sense how I am describing it but feel free to ask anything additional. 

My biggest hurdle with feeling confident about obtaining my first contract or being able to market that contract to potential buyers is the lack of experience when it comes to estimating rehab costs. 

If you feel confident with the applicant otherwise you can offer to rebate the cost of the credit check if they pass and accept the unit. 

I have a few adjusters that I work with and feel the process is slightly different.

I have been wondering about the land size and if it is enough and been thinking I need to be on the land to know if it feels big enough.

Property taxes in NJ are high and the draw to buy in this county was lower taxes vs neighboring counties which are closer to NYC.I appreciate all the input and help and feel I definitely have a good jumping off point to work towards a hopefully successful appeal.