She gave us a copy of the police report.

Do they have copy of the agreement?

I requested all monthly utility bills for 2014, copies of current lease and financial statements of 2014.

The owner, who is a zoning consultant by profession, seemed surprised that I was told this by the county zoning person and mentioned via the listing agent that he had a letter stating "Vested Concurrency" such that the property is permitable/build-able, but the the only copy of this letter is on file with the listing agent at his office and the listing agent is conveniently out of town until Thursday...There is more back story, but the above is most relevant.

You still have small claims court and collections as leverage.I would do an inspection and get/review a copy of the agreements in the due diligence phase, and back out if you get any sense that things are not what you originally penciled out, but otherwise keep an open mind.

I suggested that the buyer use a form very similar to the one used by Realtors (actually got a copy and adjusted it for my needs).

As Karen mentioned we have an Orange County Group that meets once a month and hope to see you there.For my two cents I would copy your mothers experience and get a home for "yourself" first, then think about investing with additional monies that you may have. 

I actually highlight all and copy whenever I notice my post getting long (all of them…)@Josh Autery @Mark Ferguson Thanks for additional feedback.  

I offer to share my expertise freely and hope to expand it here at Bigger Pockets.

I helped a little in the process, just to ensure things were going smoothly between all parties.Two weeks later, the HUD was drafted and I received a copy.