I talked to my agent, who now bowed out due to the complexity of this deal.

Am I wasting my time going to the court house, searching public records?

have them take you to court and provide a written contract.

My plan B is to exchange into one larger complex so I could grow my own on-site mgr.  

A Quit-claim deed only transfers "whatever interest" the seller may have in the property; I could, technically, quit-claim the Fulton County Court house to you because the quit-claim deed does not imply that I have title, only that any interest I have or don't have, I'm transferring to you. 

One option of course is eviction with the aid of an attorney and the courts... emphasize this is a bad choice for him (which it is) and no action means that the family will pursue that option.

Fee structure and operational complexity really depends on the size of the project (# of tenants), complexity of leases (expense reimbursements.e tc) and  needs of ownership (REIT accounting requirements, frequency of reporting, leasing?

I see tons of homes going into foreclosure at my local court house that are worth way less than what the owner owe.

Buy an apartment complex.

Its a double edge sword  we all like to talk about how great our markets are but then are bummed out when deals start to get tight and or harder to get because of competition.It does remind me of my days buying homes at the court house steps.. at every auction you will have a big group of folks with about 4 to 6 REAL bidders..