You just need to find your own way to verify what you are being told.  

@Davinder Hans BP is a great place to get initial info but would definitely check with Zoning before purchasing anything.

They initially listed the property at 1.8m in 2017.

I got pre approved with a lender that requires seasoning but since I already have gone through the initial hard credit inquiry I believe There Is a 3 month time frame when I can “shop” around for other lenders without triggering a secondary hard credit inquiry is this correct or does this vary through the lender as well?

my initial thought is to only cash out 50-60k to keep my loan to a minimum, and hopefully pay it off quicker. 

We just had a young lady claiming to be able to generate 350K in sales per month with targeted Facebook ads, no overhead, no US mailing address, no ability or desire to verify her claims, all with a degree in political science from the University of Michigan (supposedly), a Wix website, and an Instagram account full of duck-face selfies and inspirational sayings.

I will 100% be doing a letter versus my initial knock on door approach.

Is it possible to pay off their initial debt and then set up a sub2 or owner financed option?

Is it possible to pay off their initial debt and then set up a sub2 or owner financed option?

My initial strategy is to find a 2-4 multifamily property to help get my passive income journey started.