Russel I would not say D that is a far stretch I will give it a c+ and this is a great time to get in on the ground level.

I'm planning on trying to complete 100 hours of material participation... 

You can go to a local title company to run a quick title search for about $200 or you can do it yourself if your county records are online.

He has hard money loans on the house that he cannot pay off.

I have been pondering for years on how & where to start and have decided to connect on a larger scale to gain knowledge & guidance to get started.

A lot of this depends on what type of development you want to get into.

I own a small 2 bed/1 bath home on 40 acres 30 minutes north of KC.

Two - In my due diligence, it looks like the only real option to make this unit legal is a special permit and variance, therefore, causing me to update the whole building with sprinklers, fire alarm, and meeting stretch code (certainly not enough meat on the bone for this route).  

The seller wants 20% down on a seller-financed deal. 

I'm looking to see what others ask in terms of programs the tenant is on, details of voucher, waiting/inspection periods or any other pertinent questions?