I've approached the owners to talk about the property, he has indicated that there is an oil tank on the property.

Don't approach this one deal at a time. 

I understand that there are many variables that come into play and dependent on the specific property at hand and a one size fits all approach isn't what I'm getting at.

I would recommend this approach for 2 reasons:1.)

@Patrick Daniel thanks for the encouragement. i think the competition is increasing because as we approach the summer time, it'll be difficult for me to be competitive. i think i'll be more aggressive come sept-oct. that said, i know i can't use the traditional 70% rule since i'm not going full rehab and rather going the route of livable+small rehab.after hearing a few podcast episodes of bigger podcast, the double close made more sense and jotted some notes. the wholesaler/buyer's list route will require more research on my end especially as it relates to those with a conventional loan. great point to bring it up!

Any suggestions on how I should approach this?

As for the 50% rule, the BP Calculator also lists the 50% rule as part of the final list of info and I've been taking a look each time at what appears there compared to what I get when I break out the components individually... to get a better sense of both approaches.

I'm neither a lawyer nor an accountant, but I recommend Googling "closely held corporation" and then asking your tax accountant how, if any, the proposed idea might impact your overall tax situation (https://www.irs.gov/faqs/small-business-self-employed-other-business/entities/entities-5: A closely held corporation is subject to additional limitations in the tax treatment of items such as passive activity losses, at-risk rules, and compensation paid to corporate officers.).I've read that when two closely held corporations owned by the same small group of shareholders do business with each other, the IRS sees a red flag because some people try using this approach to evade taxes.From my readings of personal finance articles, this additional scrutiny is based on whether there is an "arms length" between the two parties in a transaction. 

Very interesting approach!

One of the questions on my list Jeff you brought up, will it be reassessed for tax purposes at time of purchase.Thanks again