How can I safely acquire the property. 

That said, for an all-cash transaction you can negotiate down to $750 or $500. don't forget to factor in all of the other possible fees, depending on who is paying for what in your contract:Title insuranceTitle search feeSeller document preparationGovernment recording chargesTransfer taxesElectronic record fee

Keep in mind he spends his time on you and expect a split of your commission for at least a few transactions. 

Is the not so desirable area safe? 

I'm brand new to real estate and reading up on the general transactions of property purchasing & selling, but it seems that there are non-physical pitfalls such as liens, titles, and possibly others. 

Additionally, your attorney should be the one to contact them, since there is already a court stipulation all further contact should be directed to your attorney, Stay Safe!

In SFBA all accepted transactions have the no appraisal condition.

You Absolutely, Positively do NOT want to enter into any type of land contract type transaction where title stays in the seller’s name until paid off, especially with as much money as you are putting down....a dozen different things can blow up in those cases where you can’t get clear title.  

So, I would send the month-to-month tenant notice once we get a contract and start moving forward with the transaction. 

He said he wanted 60-90 days to find a new place and we wrote a contract for Nov 30 closing to be on the safe side.