Chances you can get a company to do title, pay cash and come to an agreement within a week is going to be very challenging.

Assuming you find somebody who has the risk appetite, you’d need to pay them a huge return to compensate for the risk.

I got a quote for $17k to $19k for a full updated, fully occupied building.I thought this seemed double what I should be paying. 

It did come with a pay cut but worth it since I wasn't crazy busy or dead tired during or after work.

The current market environment is such that your return can't possibly make up for the penalties and taxes you would pay. 

Is it necessary to pay that much money?

I would look into a 1031 exchange to avoid that huge Tax hit... 

Refinanced in 2017 roughly to drop PMI, lower interest rate and add my then wife to the mortgage.Selling for 287k in August of 2024I know that I won't have to pay capital gains tax on the profits- my question is the profit from the sale still treated like income and taxed accordingly?

Anyone can create fake paystubs, tax forms, and more. 

During the housing boom, it was the complete opposite—they even dropped realtor commissions to 2% and made buyers pay most of their closing costs.It sounds like a great time to buy.