You only need a single place to track tenant information, payment history, maintenance, and other things.

In the future, a) get a super detailed Scope Of Work and ironclad Contract. b) Do not pay more money as a progress payment than the amount of work that has been performed, that way you are never ahead of the Contr or vice versa.Your options (depending on how much he owes you) are Small Claims Court, the State Registrar of Contrs, and possibly the local DAs office or State AG if the amount is higher ($50k ish)Good luck, let us know what happens.

More on DSCR loans:DSCR loans are based off of down payment, credit score and either actual or market rents so it helps to supercharge an investor's real estate goals and net worth.

In short though you're going to need a purchase agreement and could even use the standard real estate contract, and some people use a warranty deed.seller financing is when you don't have to give the seller some or all of the cash at closing, and then you don't have to get a mortgage (or as large of a mortgage) and you're able to make payments to the seller.

He could have done 23 years (unusual) but needed the payments to be close to his BAH base allowance housing so he got the full amount. 

I was considering a 3 year lease to own option with a balloon payment at 3 years.

Be wary of hard money loans; they can be pricey, often around 12% interest for newer, which can quickly eat into your profits and also require a high down payment.

We also see the struggles you face:Disgruntled customers due to communication breakdowns and scheduling mishaps.Frustrated employees missing deadlines because of complex systems.Recurring service issues stemming from a lack of standardized procedures.Unhappy technicians dealing with unclear pay structures and disputes.The constant threat of legal and financial trouble from non-compliance.You wear many hats, and there just aren't enough hours in the day.

Rent payments were being made prior.

Some advice:If you are going to live there make sure you spend a lot of time down there first if you haven't already.Bank financing is impossible for non residents/citizens.