I'm definitely going to look further into all that you mentioned.  

I can give you some advice and/or tips if you like. 

I recommend you pay him the final amount, but get a lien release, in advance, that says if you pay him this final amount, he will have been paid in full for his work and no further liens can accrue.I believe a mechanics lien once filed generally initiates a court date to substantiate the claim.

Happy to connect and share more tips!

The prices here are affordable, which means your $50K can go a lot further than it would in places like California, and you can still get solid cash flow from rental properties.

But this further affirms my belief that it's best to find deals now that work in the current interest-rate market.

Portland has gone a step further, imposing requirements almost guaranteed to trigger unintended violations.

There's a few GC contracting coaches out there that likely have a few tips that would apply to how you want to see this ran.

Further, only a minority of sellers will be interested or motivated to offer a significant discount for a 7 day no contingency sale.

let me know if you would like to connect and talk further.