I just wanted to update this thread with what happened after I completed the purchase of the SFH.
It turns out AZ passed something of an "anti-squatter" law a few years ago. Basically, if you own a property and there are people living there without a lease, you do not need to use the standard eviction process. A simple call to the local police department and the cops will show up, give them a few minutes to gather what they can & they will then force them to leave.
Even though I was legally entitled to do so, I didn't feel right about doing that to people out-of-the-blue, so I offered them the ability to stay for an additional two weeks and to assist in the transition, a cash payment of $1,000 (like a cash-for-keys transaction) to help them along and respect the property. They grudgingly accepted. Despite that fact that they were ex-felons, it seemed fine at first, but as we got closer to the deadline, they quit responding to my calls and texts.
Sure enough, when the day to leave had arrived, they still had a ton of junk that hadn't been removed, so I was forced to call the cops at that point. It turned into a huge fiasco, but after a lot of screaming and wailing, they were finally gone.
In hind site, I would have used a process server to deal with them, because I was drawn into too much of their drama. There were a lot more issues than what I wrote here, but it was a great lesson.
I'm finishing GC bids now and hope to start work on Monday. I'm glad I didn't give them the money, because the reno is coming in about 40% over my initial budget, so I'm going to need to shave down our costs to realize a decent profit.
