I have the inspection reports, the list of what I need done/repaired, and the renovation bid paperwork. 

It was listed for $580k at auction and he was the winning bid at $810kThere is this "ebay mentality" of "winning" sometimes. 

You may need to look at listings from people who are trying to sell their own homes without a realtor / talk to neighbors and try to snag them before they go out to market, look for the cosmetically ugly places you can touch up and remove all the contingencies (if you’re comfortable with doing some rehabbing and basic inspection on your own), keep looking and making offers (there are slower times like Christmas where you won’t have as many competetive bids, look at what’s renting for higher than the mortgage (like Marysville), go in with someone who can make a “cash” offer (where they get a business loan and pay the owner all cash), etc.

One attorney said that it would be legal to arrange for one of my buyers to bid at the auction, and then we would forfeit our Homestead, vacate the premises in exchange for a net difference. 

Might you get a buyer, sure, but you want multiple buyers bidding on the home.If your property "sits" in this market, in this town, people will think there is something wrong with it. 

Worst case scenario bid is probably the best way to go and least risky.I'm still new to the note space, so just throwing some ideas out.Hope this helps.Jeff V

It is located in Myers Park, adjacent to the South Park area.All my attempts to get anything larger on the MLS have been met with bidding wars and my highest and best offer was not good enough.I’d be happy to meet with you when you’re down here visiting.

How can I break through this ongoing approach of trying to get me to out-bid myself?

The price of the condo is market price, there is little to no room for bidding lower as other comparable units are selling for higher.

Is there still a time period before finalizing the deal to inspect the property (by an inspector) and get bids from contractors to determine the rehab cost?