So I kicked the habit - I stopped going to seminars and started to apply some of those ideas that were preached by speakers who were experts at extracting fees from me.I started to attend real estate auctions, studying the process - watching others make a lot of money - I decided to get a credit line - increase my credit card limits and started looking for properties (cheap- ugly buildings) in the neighborhood where real estate auctions were taking place - my primary goal at this time was to learn the market in the area where I wanted to control real estate - I would look at 50-60 houses (but made no offers - when agents would try to qualify me I just said "I have a small inheritance and will not need financing) - I kept a journal of the price per square foot,  comparing properties, and all comments made by sellers and agents (this helped me to find the seller dominate selling motive),  that was helpful - but I soon discovered that I was just looking for real estate in the conventional way  - I needed to do something else - so I started to look for owners of real estate who had problems (I applied Power Prospecting formulas) and at the same time studying creative real estate techniques from the old masters in the industry - became a member of the Washington Real Estate Exchange, hosted a real estate investor club and started to give mini creative financing seminars  while networking with those I wanted to emulate. 

Daniel Ebling Employees = full control, more government regulations, reporting.

I would assume once the land is under Federal government control any past mortgages/liens are pretty much non-existent.

What does the lease say regarding pest control? 

I could pay them a salary or hourly wage and I am thinking that would be less expensive and give me more control? 

Rent control is the biggest PITA, for sure. 

If you want to take control of the property without title transferring, to avoid the seller having to pay off the mortgage, you could do something like a lease option, where you make monthly payments to the owner in title (perhaps the same as the loan terms you discussed) and you are given the right to purchase the property any time in the future at a set price ($143,000).

I am selling now to take advantage of not paying cap gains (and I dislike knowing that assessments are coming that I don't have control over). 

People will want to work with you and then you are in control of negotiating the lending structure. 

I know with conventional financing at closing I'd take "control" of that property and be able to refinance after X amount of months.