Sounds like a box of unexpected surprises, I'd pass.

My humble advice to anyone attempting to do creative finance is:Creative finance is for experienced investors who have access to capital if anything goes wrong.Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal levelLearn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are neededKnow everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.

Quote from @Garry Lawrence: I need advice on a serious situation involving a property I’m about to buy.

Thank you for your advice.

My closing advice is that you connect with a local agent or mentor who also invests in the neighborhoods you are considering.

Sounds like a great strategy David.

This group is full of knowledgeable people, though you may sometimes get conflicting advice.

Anyone that could point me in the right direction or give any advice I’d love to hear, thanks!

Best advice to you would be to use that VA loan as many times as you can and buy primary residences for a year, rent them out and then buy something else with the VA!

His advice would mirror mine - to start your company, build your brand, add value to the forums here on BP if you're going to post, create the marketing for your idea, and then work your backside off to make it work.