Yikes I am almost afraid to jump in on this one, however, I know Joe personally and he is not a scammer.

Some operator takes some pity on me and says I can do some of this expedited and in person but only at Lake Zurich, Mount Prospect or Springfield walk in. 

I know some will differ here but I will offer my personal opinion like many others have.

I personally haven't done this but I have helped clients do it in the past.Hit me up if you're interested!

Quote from @Havital Miltz: I do not know that if someone is in the hospital you can force them to close, I am not an attorney, but I doubt any court will find in your favor, closings do not always happen exactly on the day that is planned, even if everyone is healthy and well, the wholesaler here is not the reason for the delay so I am not sure what exactly you can sue him/her for, they are also being held up due to the seller not being wellJust give the person some time to get out of the hospital, closing will probably not happen the very next day either, this is really extenuating circumstance. 

Typically someone who was communicative turns distant, unresponsive, blows you off when you're trying to talk to them in person, and the tall tale sign of boxes in the hallway.

Personally, I like to use Notion for this type of task, but I'm sure there will be others on here that will recommend Monday.com, ClickUp, or Asana.

Initially I didn't have a personal connection to the area and didn't know much about the city.

That could work if you find the right person.

This means, on average, that this person is facing foreclosure or bankruptcy, and has no other reasonable options.