@Aaron Nelson, You can't exchange for improvements on property you already own. 

The real estate market has shown signs of improvement over the past months but there are still significant differences between cities and housing markets within cities.

In some cases, if I see that there are opportunities to improve a property to where is will meets my metrics, I'll make an exception. 

If the home was "Titled" in his name and wife as joint tenants, then no probate is needed. 

The appreciation has been significant over the last several years and I suspect property here will continue to appreciate over time, both from overall property value appreciation but also the rents are appreciating which helps owners with their cash flow.I personally like multi-family properties the most, especially for newer investors as the properties being sold are often in such a condition that allows for cash flow to come into play after some renovations or lease improvements in the first couple years.

We hired our first employee and continue to improve our processes daily.

@Josh Edwards, while it is possible, the laws have changed regarding how much you can raise rents based on apartment improvements. 

Lol...Essentially, you are looking to purchase a lot of land, have improvements done to it so customers can bring their tiny homes and pay a monthly lot rent. 

State exactly what will be done, where it will be done, who will do it, what materials they will use, who pays for it, when it will be complete, and what happens to the improvement when they move out.

You'll likely need to accept poor terms starting out to show them you're serious but I'm sure this will improve as your relationship grows.