Best thing is the very up-to-date foreclosure status, which I think still think about the best trigger that a would-be buyer can use to find motivated sellers with big problems.

It is always great to add another San Diegan to the community here.There are a ton of us on here who are willing to help and answer questions, so don't ever hesitate to ask.I also have to applaud you for not being afraid to pull the trigger and move on to bigger and better things.

Depending on the County the assessor may not come out to the property if a sale has not occurred, in this case the owner has built on his property it doesn't necessarily mean that they would come out there, but I am surprised a new residential permit did not trigger them to do so.  

i would put in smoke detectors, handrails and lighting, i also believe that because it is a multifamily that is a requirement that even the town has. if you are referring to electrical outlets and separating circuits, then yes, when you remodel that triggers bringing everything up to code.

A lease with option to buy with a term less than 36 months generally does not trigger a DOS or is not considered a sale.  

If you still are comfortable with these numbers than pull the trigger. 

Purely investment property mixed retail/residential, bought in October 2015, buyer off market offer on property recently with sale price that would trigger ideal 1031exchange.

Matthew Dion did you ever end up pulling the trigger on a property?

Large deposits will be reported to the IRS, and even breaking it up into several smaller amounts could still trigger the reporting.  

I did pull the trigger and purchase my first house which I'm in the process of fixing up right now.