I sent him a lease extension until Feb, & have not heard a word about it, despite a few requests to sign it.I'd prefer to lock in Feb & look for a new tenant then, but as of now, I have nothing signed and extremely poor, intermittent communication, so I'm thinking I'll have to just put it back on the market.Any advice on how best to protect myself from a messy, no notice curveball?  

As a wholesaler you will deal extensively with foreclosures, divorce proceedings, probates, bankruptcies etc. 

@Trent Chance In order to make your offer attractive you need to have an extensive conversation with the seller to understand their motivation to sell as well as what do they plan to do with the funds.

I have repeatedly stated in these forums that investing in properties that require significant rehab without an extensive and highly localized knowledge base about home repair and renovation is a loser's game.Cheryl, you asked me about "sheetrock" in your response.

Obviously, this work is extensive and will need to be done by an experienced contractor to prevent structural issues and leaks.

Ask hard money for extension?

It sounds like its extensive enough of a project that you'll be re-doing the sub floor and finished floor regardless.

Travelled extensively (& overseas) with all the kids several times a year & still do. 

I am in contract to purchase a hud home, I have filed a few extensions to close due to lender delays.

Extensive exterior rehab including painting, new windows, gutters and roof repairs, and I took advantage of a city grant to remove the grass and install xeroscape landscape to reduce water consumption.