@BillyCrash wrote:
I think I'll try another professional source or two to see if I can get some more opinions in one direction or another.
Have you read the relevant section of Publication 523?
Publication 523 (2022), Selling Your Home | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)
IRS publications are not really authoritative, but it should at least give you a sense that the likely answer is travel expenses are not added to your basis (or are otherwise deductible) in this instance.
