Here are some examples of the more common types of permissible and non-permissible expenses when a 1031 Exchange is involved: Permissible Selling Expenses and Closing Costs: Owner's title insurance premiums Escrow agent, settlement agent or closing attorney fees Real estate broker's commissions Finder fees or referral fees 1031 Exchange Qualified Intermediary fees Documentary transfer taxes Recording or filing fees Attorney fees and costs related to the disposition or acquisitionTax advisor fees related to the disposition or acquisition Non-Permissible Operating Expenses, Financing and Closing Costs: Financing or lender costs such as loan fees, loan points, appraisal fees, mortgage insurance premiums, lender's title insurance policy premiums, and other loan processing fees and costs Prorated Property taxes Prorated rents Insurance premium payments Security deposits Payoff of credit card balances Repairs and/or maintenance costs

unless things have changed, every member of my national guard unit that was deployed while having a written lease/mortgage was e titled to BAH payments.

Never hurts to check though :-)You could also partner up with a real estate broker and get him or her to get a list from the title company, or perhaps you could go to a title company yourself.

Just what the title says. 

A trip to the city to pull the permits yourself along with blueprints and anything else that is publicly recorded at the city, then a trip to the county will tell you whether or not they're going  be assessing any additional taxes and what the taxes would be after a sale of $X, then a title search to find any liens.  

It is too old to pull the archives from the original Title Company.What could I do to clear title, or creatively get around this?

Generally, paying an attorney to handle the loan docs, title review, things of that nature that we can't recoup if the deal doesn't close. 

I've heard to stay away from land contracts because of the power it gives to the seller but my realtor said that there would be a deed written up with my name on it and would sit in escrow with the bank or title company.

I may be ALONE without my wife's income but I am not sure that would apply because her name would be on the property's title but I have heard of this sort of thing happening for buyers Pre-Housing bubble ~10 years ago (one income earner seeking a mortgage WITHOUT the other spouse's income).  

To get more responses for your specific area, you might want to put 'Baylor U' in the title to get the attention of those in the know for that area.I invest in a college town- about half our tenants are students- and most leases start in late August.