Bring copies of the lease and the 3 day notice and the hearing should only last a couple of minutesAfter you are awarded possession, it is not over yet. 

Finally was awarded the property for $2k under the number I had told them a month ago

Where there is no contract for rent, there is no real chance of a small claims (or a civil suite) awarding you back rent (unless the squatter is really a tenant who is overholding).  

I don’t think I would ever collect the damages awarded through arbitration (which is what our contract requires to resolve billing disputes).  

However, if I was to do that I would need something in the contract for me to back out of the situation if I was not awarded the property.

I had a guy come out today and offer to do it for $750Said he'd have to dig up some of the yard.1) what questions do i need to ask him or the city before awarding him the work?

The court cannot award possession to someone who is not the ownerYou should have the suit dropped and begin again from the start of the process

This property won the San Antonio Apartment Association Property of the Year award for 2017.

One relevant question: In the event the third party prevails against your seller, would any judgments/awards attach to the property by some legal mechanism, after you bought it, or would it be just personally against the then previous owner?

And the award for most diligent use of the @Mention function goes to ...