He has no interest in sitting on market and wants to get out of the mortgage asap to free up the payment when he gets where he's going.I think the correct action is to offer and explain a quit claim deed, and ensure he fully understands that hes leaving a fair amount of money on the table. 

If so, how much over the the amount the bank was owed?

It looks like you are going to spend in remodeling the amount you are looking to grow the appraisal.

It might sound even weirder but that loan amount might be too small for some banks too.  

My original plan was to put a HELOC on each unit and pull 80% of the value out to recoup my cash, however now I’m considering doing a cashout refi in six months for the same amount or more.Using the HELOC, my original plan was to take a 50k line on each unit and use all of my cash flow (no money set aside for reserves/profit) to not only pay the interest but also the principle down.

Please click on the links, give them a read, and share your thoughts in the comments.First is a post that I feel will help not get overwhelmed with the amount of info that is here on BP:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52761-the-simple-guide-to-getting-started-on-bp The second is a post that will help get you focused with your real estate investing goals:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52743-im-new-to-bp-any-advice-would-be-appriciatedThe last one is a post that will help you choose an “investor friendly” real estate agent.

No sense losing your sanity over a relatively small amount of money.

Please click on the links, give them a read, and share your thoughts in the comments.First is a post that I feel will help not get overwhelmed with the amount of info that is here on BP:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52761-the-simple-guide-to-getting-started-on-bp The second is a post that will help get you focused with your real estate investing goals:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52743-im-new-to-bp-any-advice-would-be-appriciatedThe last one is a post that will help you choose an “investor friendly” real estate agent.

Please click on the links, give them a read, and share your thoughts in the comments.First is a post that I feel will help not get overwhelmed with the amount of info that is here on BP:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52761-the-simple-guide-to-getting-started-on-bp The second is a post that will help get you focused with your real estate investing goals:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52743-im-new-to-bp-any-advice-would-be-appriciatedThe last one is a post that will help you choose an “investor friendly” real estate agent.

And would the person trying to redeem have to pay the auction amount plus interest?