I wouldn't take that money to buy him out I'd liquidate and move into better asset class like extended stay development or 3 story walk up apartments 

Walking through, I can see that owner is the type that spares little expense with his own properties. 

Foreclosure auction buyers cannot walk the property and have no idea of its condition.

You see a boat jetting across the bay and then he walks into a luxury house.   

So they are good paying retail.. we had 5 to 7 offers on each project .

I like DealMachine because you can literally drive or walk for dollars on the app in real time and all contacts are skiptraced with pro.But, you also want to make clear why you want to find off-market deals.

Took about half a year to learn how to walk, talk and even eat again, but bounced back to my love for real estate investing and the two things that transitioned me from just wholesaling to actually buying deals as an investor was creative finance and private money.Bought my first rental property in Easley, S.C. owner finance and one of my best rentals I still own today was bought subject-to! 

At least ones that will walk the property with you and give you an fair estimate. 

I Refused the monthly, he offered $ 75 fee to prepare for the program and I did that realized it was a mistake from his reviews and called back the next day and they would not refund me.

Contractors, unless you have a working relationship with them, normally do not want you bouncing ideas off them.Understand what their hourly rate is, have a discussion with them that you are okay with paying them an hourly rate if they walk the property with you and provide you a scope of work along with an explanation of what you can/can't get away with in regards to improvements.ask them if you go with them, if they can credit you the amount that you paid.Once you develop a working relationship with a few contractors, you can bounce ideas off them and expect quality responses.I do not invest in New York.Best of luck.