As a first time home buyer it’s hard to know who to trust and what fees I could avoid just by knowing about them.

I also recommend you start figuring out how to terminate a lease when the tenant is consistently late, or how to evict if they fail to pay by a certain date.

You can do it without permits for less then 1/3 the cost and buyers will still pay a significant premium for a building with an illegal basement.

I have a background in sales and I believe that's where I can attribute most of the connections I've made with cash buyers.

For an unrelated party such as a tax sale buyer the tax rate is 15% of the value of the property on the date of death of the former owner PLUS 6% annual interest. 

Sometimes those valves fail. 

Lower Property Values: Properties subject to rent control often have lower resale values, as potential buyers may anticipate limited cash flow growth.

Thank for the help instead of holding them is there a way to market these to a niche buyer that is looking for some rental income, would the numbers work better as a true development and sale deal?

This is not nay saying, urinating on or being negative, this is seasoned STR investors not wanting others to fail. 

However, failing to pay the tax could result in a lien against my company, complicating the approval process for a mortgage and incurring an estimated $10K in penalties.