When you get an agreement with a contractor follow it, don't go against the contract...trust me the above are expensive lessons learned..you're benefitting from my pain.Hope this helps.

Do they intend to stay there or are you going to get hit with remodelling expenses?

Expensive and a little scary for me personally.

This dragged the process out even longer, making it both exhausting and expensive—I’ve already spent nearly $10,000 in legal fees.

Don't be average, be AWESOME.

Real estate investing is forgiving; the average person can still make money even with some big mistakes.

Things just require more ongoing expenses percentage wise out of state because you have to pay people to do everything for you and you will have a longer time building relationships with vendors even when getting decent referrals. 

HOWEVER, this is a VERY expensive way to acquire property and can backfire if the new appraisal doesn't come in where you need.

Expensive lesson learned. 

For your part, it might seem like a free roll of the dice to go to court, but there are surprises and landmines along the way, litigation always takes far longer than anybody expects, and the time and emotional expense of fooling with litigation are energy drains on more productive endeavors.