Your best bet is to establish a relationship with at least 2 mortgage brokers in your area.

It doesn't sound like he has any plans for it and I bet he would like to stop paying the taxes on a vacant property.

I finished the Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing and I am currently reading Flip and Rich Dad Poor Dad and the BP guide to deal analysis.  

So many people were complaining about system bugs, poor support, LOST DATA and more.  

Any advice is greatly appreciated.David,Here's what I do for my multi-family buyers:Yes it is hard to estimate for maintenance because of a lot of variablesBut I know its expense is less for more units, for things like 16+ unit buildings, onsite maintenance room for storage materials, onsite employees use less hours to do work ordersSome entities even volunteer their residents to pick up grounds, hence minimizing your maintenance costsIf hdsupply.com accepts your account they specialize in multi-family buildings and you don't have to use man power for delivery or pickups And yes, you can do analysis paralysis but it might help you the bank's formula DCRThe 1031 buyers look at expenses differently Yes there's a number per door, e.g. if the units have been neglected you will spend at least one month's rent in turn ready unit expense    An organized well lubricated team should turn ready units in 2-3 daysPay close attention to the human factor, i.e. low self-esteem employees who will take longer to turn ready units or do work orders with poorly workmanship, theft, etc In capital expenses, concentrate in a few and more expensive to start with, AC, plumbing, electrical

It will be difficult to find private money based on your income so your best bet might be to take on a partner in order to do this deal.  

I never did anything in Cleveland but I bet the same things happened there in the C class rental areas.

It sounds like you have a poor screening process, if one even exists.

A poorly construed option is an installment sale, that can cause you a tax matter, liability for depreciation applied even if you didn't receive the funds. 

Robert Kiyosaki four years ago; His book Rich Dad Poor Dad made an emotional impact on me.