I have not paid for anything yet, but imagine the next step would be buying a land survey and engineering/architectural drawings. 

I'm a commercial real estate appraiser and we survey lenders frequently to keep tabs on the market.

The soft costs include all the design costs: architect, structural engineer, mechanical, electrical and plumbing for the building itself, but you will also need civil engineers who need surveys and geotechnical reports. 

I'm not 100% sure but assuming you're purchasing in this scenario.The next 60-90 days will include: Home inspection; contract negotiation; contract signing; mortgage application/approval process (if you're using financing); title search + survey (attorneys typically take the lead on this); securing homeowners insurance; commitment letter from the lender; final walkthrough; closing.The 2 parts of the process that will take the longest will be financing and title. 

My cousin owns a surveying company in Kelso, I asked him the other day if they ever do work and agree to get paid out of escrow at the funding.

As a upstate NY landlord with just over 100 units I am continuously surveying the political landscape.  

And be very transparent to the Seller about it.But if that's not doable you can have a provision to reflect whatever dependencies that could cause the delay, such as: Closing shall occur within 3 days after title commitment and survey have been completed, and buyer's objections to such documents (if any) have been resolved.  

Each lot is 268x100 according to survey attached to contract, but sc-pa has each lot at  24,450 Sq.Ft....

One way of mitigating is to have an elevation survey done by a surveyor/engineer that shows that the property is not in the flood zone. 

Most tax sale auctions and tax liens take a higher priority in most states than the foreclosure itself but you should examine state and local laws first before proceeding.If the property was in Louisiana then:1) After visiting the property, taking multiple photos looking for activity on the land, asking neighbors where owner is and inspecting outside of building (from street) for condemnation damage, I decide to buy after my survey.2) In Louisiana, I would buy the property at tax sale auction, bid as low as 20% and get my foot in the door with a tax title.3) I would send a copy of my new tax title along with a Post Tax Sale notice to all lien holders on record in the Clerk of Courts for the Louisiana property as per RS 47:2156 with certified letter.