I have a friend who put a good bit of $ down on a local piece of property as a private deal. They were in the middle of the redtape and transferring process which can take months here in Pa. The seller died of COVID now there is a big legal battle with the seller's family, which is like a niece or something. Knowing the seller's family, the buyer is going to be out the $ he put in. So yes, it can happen.
