I did negotiate $5k to be held in Escrow in the event that the brother did not leave the property.

Of course, he ended up calling us then things went south with a tenant and his lease held no value to him.If someone is going to learn the rules, great.  

For you since your selling stocks, passive losses would be the one you would want to create (which are easier, also I'm assuming you have held your stock longer then 12 months).

One thing to keep in mind, DSTs are typically held for 7-10 years, after which you can 1031 exchange into a vacation rental, more DSTs, any like kind property or cash out.

I'd also have money held back at closing (a significant sum of money) that they do not get unless they are out within the 30 days (or whatever you agree to-do whatever you need to have them treated as a short term tenant) and leave the place clean and in good condition (ie same or better than when you viewed it).

Held at CAPK Friendship House, the event featured local developers Max Becerra and Eric Mora, who presented plans for over 1,600 rental units in projects like Mulberry Village and Mayflower Ranch, as well as a 110,000-square-foot retail center with the area's first grocery store.Significant city support includes a 2.5-mile sewer line and plans to annex parts of the area into Bakersfield.

So, the seller could also be held liable for not disclosing and turning over those notices to you during the sale.

As anyone who has held a mortgage for more than 10 years knows, they will likely get transferred a few times. 

After looking into this a bit it seems like there is a rule of purchasing a "like" property to what was held?

If the state has held a Certificate of Sale less than three years from the date of sale by the county tax collection official, the Certificate will be assigned to the purchaser.