Only then, if you have no success, it might be worth paying someone to help you and paying for the formal appeal application.

I work 35 miles from home making not very much and I have no formal education.

In the relationship structure you imply, be it JV or formal management, the other party sounds like they are putting up the capital so logic would dictate you are supposed to put up the expertise.  

There's not much the lenders can do based on my preliminary estimated numbers so until I have the formal pro-forma data from the feasibility analysis, that will have to go on the back burner.

The less strong your relationship the more formal you will have to be and the stronger your experience will have to be.I'd suggest pursuing a 4-plex through an owner occupied FHA loan with just 3.5%.

Don't formally rescreen now because the income etc you have is probably more accurate then whatever new info they  will come up with.

@Drew Adam-- Follow what is in the lease, and then the formal eviction process.

An LLC can be a helpful additional layer of relatively cheap "insurance" by virtue of the liability shield if the formalities are respected.

I would definitely come to a formal written agreement with whomever you choose to carry out property management from here forward.

You may be confusing documents and patterns.An affidavit death of joint tenant would be recorded along with a death certificate but would not necessitate a probate to effect an insurable transfer.There are summary probates in some state that require minimum court involvement.In my state, CA, a formal probate is required when the Decedent's interest and their total gross estate exceed $150,000.