That being said i would strongly recommend one for a couple of reasons.Until you have a solid understanding of the ins and outs, standard practices and the risk involved its always the smart play to enlist someone that does, also you will need a title company as well and most RE attorneys i deal with also take care of the tittle side of the house. 

So far the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals are still on in Indio Ca. despite all the virus scareshttps://patch.com/california/palmdesert/coachella-stagecoach-festivals-still-despite-coronavirus

My suggestion would be to not play games with tax authorities as you may find yourself in prison.

But once its rehabbed and the rents are at or above market rate, then a Traditional bank comes into play, but so does your DTI and various other factors.

Oh and if your painter is mad you didn’t give him the contract, find a woodworker to make a very very special and tiny violin for you to play for him!

As for it coming from the court house, I've only seen that coming into play if there are liens on the property coming from the city / code enforcement department.

Only a small percentage of people play with those snakes and actually come out ahead. 

Now, there are a whole host of rules regarding unrelated business income and unrelated debt-financed income that come into play, which is why it is worth paying a CPA with malpractice insurance to handle it. 

I believe it is an equal playing field for us all.

Many sellers can feel the asymmetrical knowledge at play, and appreciate it when you are open with them.