If you can find that, I would recommend a rehab loan to help accommodate the repair costs and do a modified 'BRRRR', or just sell it when you are done.Is this your first investment? 

#McCormickI have some Youtube videos (link in my profile) that will help with some of your questions and I'd be happy to have a call to help walk you through the market and what you should consider when looking here.

Hello Guys,As someone who’s built sales funnels for marketing agencies, I’ve been diving into strategies that could work specifically for wholesalers—and I wanted to share a few ideas that might help you streamline your lead generation and close more deals.3 Proven Funnel Strategies for Wholesalers:* Capture Leads with a Targeted Landing PageSkip the generic “Contact Us” pages!

Super helpful!

Limited capital means that partnerships will help us move faster while the environment is profitable.

You might consider: Consulting a Real Estate Attorney – Your emails may possibly prove misrepresentation.Requesting Public Records – A FOIA request might reveal why the city denied you but later approved the duplex.Escalating to City Officials – Bringing this to local officials could expose inconsistencies.Exploring Tax Write-Offs – A CPA might help offset your financial loss, if it is possible.I’d definitely seek legal advice.

I hope this helps you.

At that time we could renovate the ground floor apartment and potentially turn it into (2) apartments for a total of (5).My questions come down to how do we deal with the existing 40k mortgage, whether we can make it work so her parents aren't paying much in rent, if anything at all, and whether or not we set up any legal entity, like a trust to help the legal situation of paying off her sister down the road. 

I own several investment properties in Dallas, and have tons of great connections that will help you get started.

By helping you remove us from your list, you could focus on other opportunities, and we could focus on other investors for whom we are a better fit.