I would say that from my perspective as not only an investor that owns properties but an owner of a property management company. the one thing that you need to realize is landlords are the highest sued in real estate as  a matter of fact 1 out of 3 landlords are in some form of lawsuit or litigation every year for violating laws such as (IRS, Discrimination, Fair Housing, Fair credit reporting act, property code ) all governing bodies that protect and regulate rights for both tenants and owners.As owner of a rental property you are running a business, and need to have policies, procedures and structure.

Plus joker brokers are so lazy by nature I wonder how many would attempt to collect it?

I read positives on their attempts to revitalize, but not sure how real all the talk is. 

I'm attempting to purchase a property with a tenant already in place.

Many people are attempting explain why, others are relating stories of wonderful pit bulls.

Has anyone ever attempted this?

a double closing is not needed  per question 2HOWEVER AND THIS IS A BIG ONE THAT GETS WHOLESALERS PROBLEMS WITH LENDERSIf you attempt a double close without substantial improvements between the first close and the second close especially if the dollar amount between the two is substantial, it may  not appraise and could be seen as predatory.Again check with your broker.

Usually the coroner will remove the bodies fairly quickly.

Or, using Nik's analogy above, perhaps he's trying to inflate the price attempting to attain a 50/50 split: $1.9m for the land and $1.9m for the construction.Figure out what number works for you and make an offer to see if he bites!

You have a legal obligation to pay rent, but the owner has a legal obligation to make reasonable attempts to mitigate damages.