The standard in Texas (for example) is extremely high and requires almost outright fraud.  

Some sellers may not like the buyer recording a memorandum of option on the deed, and in most other states you don't need the full legal description to still be in compliance with the statute of frauds within that state (but you do in NC).Are there any other funky laws in other states that I'm not aware of?

(In 2015, the rate was hovering between 63% and 64%, the lowest rate of home ownership in over 20 years, according to U.S. census figures and a comparatively more sustainable figure than 69%.)Borrowers who took out mortgages they could not afford, buying the biggest house they could on interest-only and deferred interest loans, turning a blind eye to future rate increases.Mortgage fraud as high as 90%.

Basically a 203k is almost identical to your current FHA loan (because your current FHA loan is most likely a 203b), in fact the 203k is a FHA loan, but you can finance up to $35,000 in repairs into your mortgage.

I have filed disputes with my credit card companies for charges he made due to not receiving services promised, as well as fraud claims for unauthorized charges.

Do you know anyone who has mastered the correct use of the Land Trust to shield owner identity from property records?

They do that because they are covered for fraud 60 days after they receive their bank statements.  

I came a across a syndication deal that sounds a little fishy. At first it loos like the sponsor is putting in $440,0000 but after further DD it looks like he has no skin in the game at closing. He is raising $7.7m fo...

This hasn't happened to them before, but I'm kind of surprised that it doesn't happen more often since criminals could easily create a fake identity and use someone else's card.

That seems to me like it would be fraud...manipulating the price of a financial asset to buy it at a discount.