Also if she has her head in the sand, is she going to be capable of running the project? 

I have asked a lawn care company about sodding it just to get ideas and it will be very costly and they also cannot guarantee that the sod will last due to 1) large trees causing shade and sucking all of the moisture out of the ground and 2) poor soil in that area.

Some topics that have been brought to my attention are:-timber sales, soil mining, solar power generation (solar farming)As of now, there are two separate tracts of land with potential opportunity in two separate states in the SE (USA) I am looking at.

I am from Sunny Florida, where the snow is in your hair, the sun is in your face and the sand is between your toes. 

Is it steep, flat, sandy soil, clay soil?

In that process, the tank could leak and you're in a world of hurt paying for soil remediation. 

I gave The quotes I was getting were in a broad range but most of them said it would likely be closer to the $14K mark based on soil conditions of the area (all clay).

@Sandy C.

Also be aware of any chemical hazards, such as the remnants of a meth lab or leaking oil/chemicals in the soil.

My wife and I recently bought a duplex in Sandy OR and are going to 'house-hack' for the next year until we can once again purchase another multi-family home.