@Philip MurphyYou would need to have the taxes paid and payoff his mortgage for you to receive clear title and title insurance.All debts on the property must be satisfied to provide clear title

In retrospect I would have spelled out the construction process more clearly in writing ahead of time.In your case the existing tenant is getting no new value so there is nothing for them to gain with this project.

Start cutting the favoritism, the golden net's, remove hurdles for small business launch, remove corporate favoritism and watch things correct themself. 

I really just went off the fact that property was super affordable and it was very clearly obvious to me that Joshua Tree could only grow and become more developed because of the beautiful park and proximity to LA/Palm Springs.

Anyone anyone buying these is a commercially minded buyer and has a clear requirement for cashflow.Sidenote, while banks and realtors consider residential 1-4 units, the county only sees residential as 1-3 units.

Finding another contractor, cutting costs somewhere in the job, and finding cheaper money (doing it all cash). 

Develop a clear plan, set milestones, and remember that building wealth through real estate is a marathon, not a sprint.Good luck!

Our attorney is very clear about what we can and can not communicate related to criminal background and that is why self-managing can be a mine field when it comes to application qualification criteria.  

To be clear, I am not looking for this information for my work.

The key is having a clear plan to refinance or sell when the value increases or rates drop.