Each transaction at this stage on the real estate cycle must be looked at worst case scenario is what to do if I cannot sell at my projected price point .

However, after a successful transaction, I would need to pay the office $500.

@Jantsen Locke yes, imo it's a good idea to open a separate business account for all transactions (income/expenses) on the duplex.

I promised a smooth transaction in exchange for a lower price.

Looking for come clarification on the Philadelphia Lead Safe requirement. 

Playing it the safe way I would have the city come out and tell me what needs to be fixed. 

Since we often talk about owning real estate for multiple decades, it is relatively safe to say that the end price will likely be relatively close to it's predicted value.  

You can definitely just escrow these funds with the title company as part of the refinance transaction and still close the loan, this is fairly common practice, I've done it before myself for similar situations.

The transaction is two fold.

By structuring the transaction this way, the buyer will not have to put down any of their own money to buy/close.