I wanted to speak with people that have used the firm, but they wouldn't provide references due to client confidentiality.  

Certified Mail giving them notice, as well as explaining that proceedings will begin if they fail to comply, is what I have been told to do by lawyers and other landlords in Missouri, though I am not an attorney and (luckily)  cannot speak from personal experience.  

Hello, I am looking to speak with an experienced real estate agent in the San Antonio, Texas area of whom has background in multi-family properties.

We will speak tomorrow so I will see what he says about all of the issues raised thus far.    

@Kyle Grimm: I'm working on that profile pic as we speak! 

I feel like my position in my market as well as the great prices in our area I could be of some value to some out west or out of state investors.Thanks for your comments ahead of time please feel free to speak your mind in regards to my situation!

I definitely recommend listening to all of the podcasts and attending as many of the Bay Area meet ups as you can (which it looks like you are doing).There are quite a few of us from the Bay on the site and I speak for everyone when I say feel free to reach out!

We were told multiple times that we would have to speak to the owner about the issue, yet he would never return our calls.

However, generally speaking, a Bankruptcy Trustee can declare a specific debt as non-dischargeable through bankruptcy due to "Fraud" on the part of the Debtor.

If you are serious about buying wouldn't you want to know what you can afford to buy before you speak to an agent.