really crazy half-baked condo buy

[Martha Bader]

New investor here - not professional, I just want a house with some a rental unit attached, to offset expenses long-run. I found a property - short sale (almost non-existent here these days) - 2 houses on one lot. Turns out the two houses are condo with NO CCRs or bylaws or anything. Big mystery. The property is owned by a religious organization, we think they started the process of condo-izing and then stopped short. It has tenants (8 crazy kids in a commune doing urban homesteading who are also interested buyers as a TIC). Can you already tell this is in California?

My lender says I can't buy both units with a regular loan, its unlendable in current legal limbo as partial condos.  I can't afford a 100% cash buy AND deal with the legal condo issues afterwards - or can I?  

Advice?  
anyone know of legal/lending help buying semi-legal condos?  Experience with weird semi-legal or semi-finished condo conversion lending?