As long as there's enough time to complete the transaction then you're in the game if they wish to sell to you. 

We requested the dismissal paperwork which their attorney literally said, "Your client is asking for a unicorn," claiming no such paperwork exists and we were foolish to think a receipt was necessary for these violation fines. 

If you still are thinking about it, do a complete background check, verify employer, past 2 landlords (the last one might lie to get rid of them) , pull their court cases in your local jurisdiction, look at the interior of their car, take a photo of their ID, etc...

The owner claims its worth $500k in current conditions.I've looked in the MLS and didn't see anything immediately jump out.   

My partner and I need about $1.6MM to complete the build out of roads and infrastructure (engineering is complete). 

During the payment period, how can I ensure and guarantee that the land is clear and will transfer to me once balance is complete?

He has now proposed to complete the renovation of my multi-family in exchange for ownership of the other property.

It is completely unacceptable for him to not transfer the rent money that he has collected.

There are also other issues: in our country I heard many situations where people renting the RE, completely destroyed it and either owners or loan takers had to pay on their own to fix it.4.

Be opening to understanding the valuation insurance policies use for a property when you want to insure it and how that affects any payments at the time of a claim.