Of course, the past is no guarantee of the future but, as this example illustrates, fortunes can be made by simply postponing gratification for a little while.          

Simply schedule time for an inspection during your option period (due diligence window in Texas) and you'll have the information you need.

I’d simply offer condolences, no time pressure, 30 days or so to empty it out....they’ll probably do it quicker. 

Did you simply look up the properties and then contact the owner?

So what I have concluded is that what I am going to do is document the heck out of the trip - who, where, what, why, pics, then decide what to do with it later on.

Spoke to the Owner and he is definitely old school and wants to simply swap check for deed/title at the bank.

They simply raise taxes, which they will be doing real soon.

They want to see that you are vested in the property and did not simply buy it on a whim.

Just go ahead and get a preapproval from their “preferred” lender...agents do this, as they should, simply because they know Their lender will do a Real preapproval....2 years tax returns, W-2’s bank statements , etc....unlike many who just run a credit report.

@Ryan Murdock, There are alternative lenders like myself who lend at lower rates than hard money. to put it simply, we sit between the rates of banks and hard money.