Hi Chris, there are several options you could consider, but it would all be based on your risk tolerance. 

I would appreciate any comments on any of these questions:1.

Sorry you are dealing with that, it sounds awful.My guess is most attorneys are going to charge hourly on something like this unless you are suing the HOA for damages in which case they may take a contingency fee.

Was the buy-back price contingent on an updated appraisal?

Don't spend your last dime on an investment.

In some cases, I've had a buyer lined up by the time I close.

@Phil SheltonYou would need a civil engineer to provide a drawing to get submitted to zoning and get a permit if it passes zoning is most common This also depends on the road - if it’s a state road forget it as it will take a year to get approved and cost a fortune - if it’s a local road process not as cumbersome but don’t expect this to happen quicklyIn some instances you may have to prepare sight distances etc to make sure it’s safe to add a curb cut

What do you do when in house goes on vacation? 

An instructor can make it better, but most are online now anyway.

My best contractors over thirty years of flipping were always people I met through networking or other investors or trial and error, never online.