BTW: The S.A.F.E law which is going to screw with the carry backs was pushed through congress by the (BIG) Business Friendly Bush Administration.

I guess the difficult part of this is that they are not currently in probate therefore there is no executor or administrator... what can be done in this situation until I help them get the probate process started? 

Yes, 60 days in the administrative time a local agency has to approve your plans and put building permit in your  hand.

Hi, the executor or administrator has a right in representing the estate to payoff the obligation, if they can, and with court approval if it is the administrator.

I have also spoken with two CPAs who don't think it is an issue so long as actual income is high enough about the 'reasonable salary' such that the tax savings are equal to or greater than the $2000ish annual costs of administrative maintenance (LLC expenses, payroll company, added filing expenses, etc.)Is anyone actually doing this who can shed a little light?

As @Chad Urbshott said, it should be fairly easy to determine any administrative/transfer fees.  

As Dale alluded above, the administration and service fees, combined with the CRA's requirement of a fair market interest rate (not too low, not too high, just right), typically make self-directed, non arms-length mortgages impractical ... especially in today's interest rate environment.

Virtual assistants can handle several tasks from lead management, appointment setting or scheduling, email management, to administrative tasks, personal assistance, etc.In my case, I have utilize the services of Virtual assistants for my SEO campaign - link building efforts, blog commenting, guest postings, etc. as well as handling my social media accounts.

@Clary Roberts 1) If your 401k is with the current employer, you need to contact your 401k plan administrator and inquire with them about "in-service distribution" 2) Since you qualify for Solo 401k you will be much better off going this route than SD IRA.

@Corey Key, As Denise stated above....I have found that the key is understanding there are 2 different redemptions afforded to the defunct owner: Administrative Redemption(up to 3 years after tax sale) & Judicial Redemption (3 years after taking possession of property)...which means that a overall redemption for certificate/deeds purchased from the state (1 year old) could be 3 up to 5 years.