I leaned doing business in Texas everyone surveys before closing. out in the west we rarely do that unless its acreage or some other special circumstances we simply would not have enough surveyors to keep up with resi transactions in a timely manner.. but I can see in Texas were the land use rules and no building codes or lax ones and no licenses required years ago.. that you need to do this.. you opened my eyes on that one. 

I think you might put yourself up to legal risk from the family once they find out they aren't getting the house and take you to court for them singing under duress or another circumstance where they were not of right mind. 

I am happy with both and they have been in operation for multiple decades so your mind is at ease working with these groups.Due to unforeseen circumstances I am actually looking to sell one, if you interested PM me:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/517/topics/1194691-equity-shares-available-houston-and-atlanta-multifamily-portfolios

Can I still get a mortgage loan to purchase real estate under these circumstances?

These include falsely claiming to have closed dozens of deals when none were ever closed, illegal payment of undisclosed sales commissions to bundlers and independent contractors, advertising the funds as safe and appropriate to investors with obvious near-term needs for their capital, creating fund of funds en masse assembly line fashion with no corresponding SEC filings, unregistered brokers/financial advisors acting in that capacity absent licensure, having customers wire money claim the fund is fully subscribed and putting them into a high yield promissory note, accepting funds from unaccredited investors, misrepresentations about the debt put on the project, lies about experience level of the principals, omissions of material facts, and at least two straight up Ponzi schemes.While it's true that some legitimate operators are having issues in their portfolios, today's circumstances are a perfect example of the idiom, "you can only discover who is swimming naked when the tide goes out."

I find that its different for me each time because of various other circumstances of my financials. 

I have done all of the those, based on the circumstances.I also can't count the number of times in mandatory training / continuing education that I was told that we were never, ever, under any circumstances to discuss setting "standard" commissions with other agents. 

Plus you are married and under these circumstances the underwriter would ask why and ask for a divorce decree or reason for separation.

That said, if the circumstances warrant, you could agree to return the deposit as part of the buy-out agreement. 

Our goal is to not have any lost income due to them breaking their lease, and not so much penalize them for a change in their circumstances.