Only thing better would be initial deposit and then paid in full upon Certificate of Occupancy and punchlist complete.Of course, standard items should also be checked: licensed, insured, willing and able to pull all required permits, reference checks.I would also commonly avoid the cheapest bid you get.  

Planner 5DPlatform: AndroidFeatures:Supports both 2D and 3D floor plans.Allows you to scan walls and create floor plans as you walk through a property.Offers a vast library of furniture and decor items to customize your plans.Bonus: Projects can be synced and edited on Windows through their web platform3.

There are companies with the customer best interest in mind.

Is the property priced appropriate for a purchase that does not permit financing?

I still don't have permits after a fire and things were submitted in March for applications.

The fact that you have built custom homes together with your general construction experience should be enough.

Currently, the contractor is demanding $44K upfront to resume work and complete the occupancy permit, promising to discuss the additional costs afterward.

I believe they have taken over a lot of CR of Maryland customers. 

In France, they sell wine.They identified their customers (in your case, reliable tenants) and delivered what they wanted to buy (rent).SummaryA proverb has helped me: "Yard by yard, life is hard.

There are no restrictions on foreign property ownership in Portugal and transaction costs are generally low.Portugal will grant a 5-year residency permit to non-EU citizens through Real estate investment (the program is called Golden Visas, look it up).