Brendan,In banking terms you might be "Risked out" meaning too many mortgages which equal "Excessive Tradelines" and those two things equal high risk.

Feel free to reach out if you need assistance. 

I don't owe any money on the lots, they are mine free and clear. 

They talked about the risks, but feels very bullish - My father-in-law is extremely stressed about this since we won't hold the title if anything goes sideways.

I hope this recommendation helps.If you have any lending related questions, feel free to contact me. 

Reach out to a local broker and see if they can identify a carrier that would be reasonably priced for the house for a reference, or find out what you can do to remediate the risk to lower the premium.What town?

If more retailers vacate their space than those properties are at risk of losing tremendous value as it will be difficult to re-lease to a tenant that is not impacted by California's high costs to do business. 

You'll find a lot of helpful information here and as it relates to financing - please feel free to reach out, I'm happy to assist. 

Please feel free to reach out if you want to discuss in more detail!

So it can be a bit tricky to do it this way, but ultimately, requiring that hold deposit will let you eliminate the risk of a tire kicker no showing on you when it comes to pay and you've already told everyone the house is rented.