Finally, I pressed charges against him.

If you press them on this, and explain that paying off your HELOC is *not* the same as "closing" (re: opening) a "previous home equity product" they agree (with some double checking by their underwriting/ law dept).  

This really depends on many things, most pressing is the return on invested capital. 

@Bob Jones You're going to be hard-pressed to find any duplexes for sale under $150,000 outside of the city.

Do I press criminal charges for B & E/theft, seek a real estate attorney or a criminal attorney.

Start with the most pressing issues - roof and HVAC.

Also, a little tip, when responding to an individual person, press the @ sign on your keyboard and type in that person's name.

Everything happened so fast I was struggling to keep up, but remembered what I learned from BiggerPockets and pressed on even when I felt like running away.

Purchase price: $230,000 Cash invested: $1 Sale price: $340,000 This home is up on the east bench in Ogden, UT and had so much potential in it when we found it.

Architect here @Monish Lillaney, generally speaking you will be hard pressed to find an architect that will stamp someone else's work if they didn't have a hand in producing it.