That sounds overly complicated mayng. 

Getting to a bank is obviously pretty easy but it's the individual owners or trusts that's complicated.

It's a fairly complicated topic, so I'll try and direct you to the right place.

there is only a deficiency if the foreclosure is judicial and even so, as Brett points out, if the estate is insolvent, who cares?

Small claims only allows up to 5K, but we're out of state, that further complicates thing. 

The main issue there is we'll actually be paying more in total interest (deductible, but still net lower profit), and it'll blow up our debt-to-income ratio past the point where we could finance later deals.We only have a few days until close, which complicates things. 

A partnership is an extremely complicated endeavor and you absolutely need an attorney to help with this.

How complicated is it to dig another 12-18 inches in a section of the basement to be able to build a 3rd legal bedroom?

Sounds complicated, but someone with more experience might see an easy way to do this.

Pick a flip that is not that complicated to get your feet wet.