Whatever is closest to "Legal". 

I won't be able to make the cottage legal rental without living in the primary home myself.

You would only pay taxes on all passive investments in a traditional SDIRA at distribution, unless you have a mortgage, then the portion of the income derived because of the mortgage will be subject to UDFI (unrelated debt finance income) which will trigger UBIT (unrelated business income tax). 

Key Check gave me credit and debt load, which was surprising, as most other methods people don't share.

There are some legal considerations as well as practical considerations 1.  

Eliminate debt, establish a budget, and save.

Well anyone can write anything into a contract, but whether it is legal and enforceable is for the courts to decide...It is State law here that a contractor must call 811 or they are liable for the costs.

You will want to consult with a lawyer.In regards to your last two questions here's some background on what makes a contract valid and enforceable:Offer: A promise to do or not do something within a certain time period Acceptance: A clear and direct statement that all terms and responsibilities are accepted Consideration: A legal and adequate inducement given in exchange for the promise Capacity: The parties to the contract must have the legal capacity and competency to contract Awareness: A party must be aware of the contract Legality: The contract must be legal in the jurisdiction it will be operating in***Not legal advice*** Steps I would take: -Review contract in detail to understand each counterparties responsibilities (if you are not aware)- Email a copy of the lease to each of the tenants listed on the lease and reiterate lease expectations for termination notice, rent payment etc. - If the lease was signed via Docusign (other esign may have same ability) - you can go to the envelope, go to history and view the IP addresses for each action taken.

If you have large debt with a high interest rate, I would consider paying that off before getting started investing in real estate. 

Finding the correct contact info is hard enough, but if your pitch is that they should sell cheap now, you're misreading the market.Multifamily properties are worth significantly less now than they were just a few years ago, and asking for a further discount due to property condition would probably result in a loss, maybe not even pay off the debt.