I wouldn't be wasting other investors time until you have approval from all lienholders on the property.This is includes bank 1st, bank 2nd (if any), bank 3rd ( rare but happens ), secondary liens of judgments, mechanics liens, back taxes, etc.Once you get everyone to agree you will get the approval letters and a timeline to close in.Sometimes the listing agent has a pre-approved offer from the bank on what they will take based on going through the process before and a buyer didn't stick around for the answer.

If they are new in the business be very wary - they may not have the experience necessary to get your loan closed, can waste a lot of your time, and can even leave you in the position of losing a deal or defaulting on a contract if they can't meeting the financing contingency timeline in your contract.My suggestion is to visit lots of banks in your area and speak face to face with as many loan officers as you can until you find one who really knows his/her stuff.On a last note, remember it goes both ways - make sure you are prepared when you do submit the loan application.

Be sure that letter is sent out in accordance with the timeline set in the lease and relevant laws. 

As for the timeline, I agree with @Adam Anderson    I haven't done a project in the San Jose city limits but in the surrounding cities, counties I have had pretty good success getting someone in the planning dept on the phone to answer basic questions like time frames.   

That would be a personal choice, depending on if you are more aggressive with your budget or timeline (though they go hand in hand).

But I've also established timelines when I think I'm going to incur those expenses and I'll grow the reserves leading up to that.

Be clear about what you want: your budget, your criteria, your timelines and what kind of information you need to get going.

Yes Rockville will keep appreciating over a long enough time line.

Get the name and contact info of the attorney so you connect after you have an agreed to offer.But most important you need learn the laws and probate process and timeline in your state.

No matter what you agree to, your reputation and future borrowing ability will be based on your ability to pay back your investor at the rate and timeline, or terms, that you decided and agreed to in the contract.