I'd just do conventional financing on a property in a location I want to live in that works for hacking such as a duplex or a place with an in-law suite.  

Hello All,I am in the process of buying a Single Family home off market which has a mother in law suite with a separate entrance that allows us to rent the home as 2 units once purchase & rehab is done.

I’m considering moving from my SFH to a SFH split foyer w/ separate entrance in-law suite.

Not to mention the inevitable law suit if you say "OK, go ahead and fix the ceiling fan" and they fall off the ladder.

Good why to find yourself slapped with a law suit.  

I also look for lawsuits and see what happened in them.

Long story short, lost a lawsuit and a judgement was rendered against me in Texas.

Like what Nabil mentioned, you may not able to recoup your losses if he has no assets or trail of any assets.If you signed the contract as an individual, you can get help from the city attorney when you file a lawsuit and present the case without attorney representation.I hope that helps, good luck.

I want to initiate a law suit for non performance.

The back of the house has what was a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom in law suite that was walled off and metered separately.