We waited 7 months for the bank to make a decision on the short sale, and once the bank came back with an acceptance counter-offer, our buyer bailed, even after multiple times of telling him this was a really good deal!

Thanks for any advice or suggestions! 

The idea is to understand how to make the financing work on my end and come up with some budget then start approaching land owners with a set plan/offer to see if any of them are willing to sell.Need some creative ideas from some experts to help me understand how I could make something like this happen.

I would suggest you make the request to have the tenants leave, AND, if it delays the transaction that's no skin off your back - just keep you lender/bank in the loop!

My wife and I had a “corporate meeting” and we made them and offer and ended up purchasing the property for $1K over our offer price at auction.

Did you get robbed or offered drugs while walking around? 

Generally any multi family purchases 5+ units is considered commercial, and although many lenders offer financing, the down payment requirements will be slightly higher..usually 25-35% depending on the number of doors.  

I cannot recommend much about the areas in Dallas, but i can definitely offer my expertise as Mortgage Loan Officer, Investor and Short Term Rental host.Feel free to reach out :)

Saying that, we are only interested in buy-and-hold investments that offer positive cash flow upon purchase and some minor non-structural reno's. 

If you do sell on your own I always suggest hiring a lawyer which will charge hourly regardless of if the deal goes through or not.