After countless calls to non traditional lenders and some serious research and vetting, I found a handful of legitimate lenders. 

If its a legitimate lease he should be able to provide you a copy signed by authorized persons, either him or someone at the bank. 

The two biggest clues are the very low rate (you won't get that rate from strangers) and the fast closing (you might get that from a legitimate lender).

(In Ohio, unless the tenant recently moved to the state you can require that the letter be from an Ohio health practitioner)The tenant is required to have a legitimate relationship with the healthcare provider... you don't have to accept any old website certificate: ask the tenant and the provider if the tenant sought out this provider specifically to obtain an esa and if the tenant has been seen by the practitioner before or since.You may ask for vet records showing that the animal is in good health, free of parasites and has all required vaccinations.

He asked some questions but not as many as I would before giving up 12.5k to someone I don't know.His FB profile looks legitimate.

C'mon dawg, need more specifics then this to get a legitimate discussion going.

You definitely need Builder's Risk + GL for any legitimate flip.

Get a RE license and a legitimate career in real estate.

I did the research, and everything (License, insurance, and bonding) was good (Legitimate).

Interest rates, from legitimate banks asking no points and reasonable fees, is over 7%.