Seller can substantiate that he paid the contractor far in excess of the work done, but I want to be preemptive on this if I can, despite the fact we can show the invalidity of any mechanic's lien from this GC were it to be filed.

Currently she is on gov. assistanceI know I am going to need to speak with a lawyer on this but my question is, is there a way to avoid tax implications if we do combine households, due the substantial amount of equity that is in the property.Any ideas or input would be welcomed.

@Basit SiddiqiAgree for example would you rather have 13% net but deal levered 75% or a deal no levered at 8% net.On a 100k investment I would take the 8% deal every day as I will gladly pay an extra $5,000 to reduce my risk substantially since in option 1 the deal can go to zero in option 2 realistically it would be really poor management if it lost more than 10-15% of your capital.

Of course, since they put down a substantial option fee they are more likely to keep the property nice.

They then decide if they are willing to list with the agent.If you have substantial capital and can close quickly, with cash, no inspection you might be able to do what you are suggesting.But a bank is incentivized to get as much as they can, with the least amount of hassle and they will believe their real estate agent before they believe you on numbers, closing time, availability of funds.

My goal is to continue earning 10% CoC in buildings that will appreciate substantially by the time I retire (~30 yrs from now).Any advice would be immensely appreciated!

For instance, zip code 13210 shows a substantial rental market with higher median rents, especially for larger units.

The reason for this reduced value is because the buyer pool is substantially smaller.  

This would be substantial time for me as the property is a few hours away.

First try to get evidence substantiating the charge to your processor.