Before you spend your IRA/retirement money, I would suggest you investigate other ways to invest into larger deals.

You may consider having a title company do a preliminary title search but that is costly. 

How investors can legally and ethically engage in wholesaling:These guidelines are designed to protect all of us from scrutiny, investigation and possibly worse.

You should be able to file a complaint with them which will trigger an internal investigations and could lead to closure for you. - Contact a real estate attorney to plead your case and possibly start motions against the company/ agent.

I spoke with my contractor today and he is going to talk with an architect we have used in the past to see if he can work with us in this preliminary phase.  

I would not order title work until you have remove the preliminary contingencies of home inspection, rehab bids and financing, unless you have reason to think that there are issues on title.

You don't want them starting on any preliminary design or property research until you are sure it's yours.

We prefer to do a preliminary walk-through as soon as we receive the tenant's notice to vacate.

Maybe your state does not.I know in my state in Oregon you MUST be a licensed foreclosure consultant to deal with folks in foreclosure.. now you can simply make an all cash offer to buy.. but any other type of transaction is not allowed and ESPECIALLY rent backs totally illegal.. but again state specific so that's why we have to be careful talk about these things just like wholesaling in general IE marketing a property you don't own see below a snippet of a conversation I had with a state of Oregon financial investigator for the department of real estate"The Agency is well aware that unlicensed “wholesalers” are rampant in our jurisdiction.

I have been tasked with removing a family member from a joint Tennant coronership. who fills out an affidavit of death and a preliminary change of ownership.