On this tile and tub, clear will look better than white, the only two real choices.

I too am looking for alternative funding.

Know your exit strategy going into the deal and best to give yourself a few alternatives.

@Jeffrey Paye Good choice focusing on central Maine. 

You are lucky you live in Hong Kong.....go to ETrade, Schwab, Citibank, HSBC or one of the American banks there and open account...then they should be able to USD account either there or in US branch.An alternative is someone like Cathay Bank in USA. 

I dont think the tenants that are currently there could pay for a 30 to 35% rent increase so the choice would be to let them stay and raise the rent bit by bit or non-renew and have them move out so i can renovate, clean up and get market rent with new tenants. 

I just didn't want to have to, but looking like he may not give me much of a choice.

And about 30 or 45 minutes worth of other bullet points, often the result would be that you would then go back to the taxpayers with (this is often how the choice would play out) "hey here's option A or option B, A has you paying less in taxes this year, but you mentioned that you might want to buy a home this year, option B might be more advantageous for that.

The other choice is to serve them for not paying rent as @Mark H. had mentioned.  

I think once you do that you will see just buying outright will be a heck of a lot simpler, easier, better choices in homes, etc. for you.