The US is one of the few places where even foreign nationals can purchase real estate without too many complications. 

Or is it more complicated than that?

That is not an issue.the question is how to coordinate the two sales and one purchase. if it’s too complicated, may just pay the capital gain tax.Quote from @Bill B.: You lost all hope at step 1.

This can work well for an individual investor, but can get quite complicated for a partnership. 

The intrinsic complications of a contract should be overlooked by a professional. 

Quote from @Nicholas Petrozzi: Nobody can answer that without knowing your finances, your skills, your drive for success, and 82 other factors that can't be discerned from your post.I can tell you that you shouldn't set your bar too high or make things too complicated.

That could pose a lot of issues with zoning and permitting making things more complicated. 

Quote from @Neil Warren: what are your thoughts/experience with turnkey for startingIf it's your first investment property, turnkey is the preferred method to learn and not expose yourself to unnecessary financial strain. 

To address this, we agreed that I would work in the business for six months to verify the financials, which so far align with his POS system.My main issue is that at 23, I don't have strong financials to get a conventional loan at 75% LTV with a ~7% rate, and the seller's lack of financials complicates bank approval.

Thank you, I can always shut them off and see what happens but wanted to avoid any unnecessary issues ;p