Under no circumstances would I let them stay.

No one else wants to do these.

This is a question for everyone:When looking to work with someone in real estate, no matter the subject (agent, contractor, PM, etc), does age matter to you?

There's no need to give any definitive answers at this moment.

My biggest concern for his business is margin compression.  

There is no obligation to honor your contract since the owner is deceased. 

No Soft money is due to lock it up? 

Another thought - When purchasing HVACs, roofs, tree removal, siding, etc. you can very easily pay "retail" (just look for the biggest ad campaigns online) or you can save 30-50% by being your own GC and finding or going to the crews directly.

Nevada has many of the draws of CA and the added benefits of low property taxes that don't assess on sale, landlord friendly, no state income tax, and multiple tech and manufacturing jobs like Tesla, Apple, Google in the area. 

Biggest mistake of my life was not keeping 50 more of the 500 or so I flipped, HUGE mistake.