Have you contacted the owner yet or what methods do you typically use?

Most new people getting into real estate try to find step-by-step methods where the numbers fit at some percentage rule of thumb.

Non-profit housing programs use this method. :)      

As such, you can within the 401k have multiple individual participant accounts - one for you and one for your wife - assuming your wife is a documented employee of the business.You could not roll a Roth IRA into such a 401k, but I think you mentioned that your funds were in a traditional IRA.With the 401k, there are still proscribed methods for documenting and bookkeeping so as to independently value your account and that of your wife, but the ability to combine the funds for investments is much easier than in the IRA realm.

During this period of my life, I have grown to love to learn, to explore, and to read.

If the most creative thing you can do is to offer all cash at low price point, you're not exploring enough techniques.Learn how to offer a seller financed deal. 

I have a different method than Michael Paris on this one, I give out an rfq to the lumber yard, I have the architect call out types of wood, bolts, and other accessories (osb, doug, etc) to obtain apples to apples bids; on my rfq I put any miscalculations in quantity is going to come from their end. price lock for 2 months.

Using HML really isn't doing this method.  

An argument I would explore is grandpa as the personal rep of the son's estate had an obligation to pay off debts within the son's estate.  

You recommended me  this method in another post here or MHU forum.