Show them the money, but don't GIVE them the money.If they are weird and insist on having you put money in Escrow, and you are willing, I'd only give it to reputable Title company along with paperwork indicating that there is no contract requiring you to keep your money there and you can withdraw it any time. 

I am a couple of counties south Hillsborough (Tampa) and in years past, my county attached the water bill to the individual and not the property, but they changed the law and it now attaches to the property.

In Florida, there are no closing costs to buyers who pay cash, however, I have not been able to find any clear indication of how it works in Tennessee. 

There could be an advantage to this because you can sell units individually.

I am part of a group of three individuals who are looking to partner to invest in a duplex.

I'm guessing because they were originally focused on renting individual rooms, so people could list individual rooms within a house or list the entire house.

Multifamily real estate syndications are completely different as there could be hundreds of individuals involved, thus some profit sharing.

I noticed he had a rental listed online that indicated that “their maintenance team” will be available to the renters.

I would do what @Scott M. stated so when you do go to court, you tell the judge that the City Building/Health & Safety department indicated it was not habitable.

There are also business loans that are based on the business, although individual guarantee may be required in some cases.Quitting your W2 will make lending harder and more expensive.