You might consider giving a notice to the entire building that you will be doing a walk-through on a certain date to check the condition of the property - you have a right to maintain your property and access all units if they are home or not with proper notice.Also, make sure that your notices have a person named as UNKNOWN OCCUPANTS listed.

Not unreasonable to ask them to cut it down IMO.I would sue private nuisance and injunction from maintaining a private nuisance, and for interfering with prospective economic advantage (scaring away potential tenants with prospect of dwelling and car damage).Start with a nasty-gram from lawyer since you already asked and was turned down. 

As a private money borrower, some of the biggest challenges often include securing favorable loan terms, managing tight deadlines for funding, and maintaining a solid relationship with lenders.

You want to maintain anonymity and protect yourself from liabilities at all times!

My reservations about timber: make sure you maintain your parcel well, because a pristine stand will attract more bids. 

You locate a property you want to own, let’s say the seller is motivated to get out because he has had no success in maintaining tenants and tenant turnover is killing any cash flow.  

I totally understand that houses need to be maintained - no matter how they're built. 

Repairs generally include work that maintains the property in its original, operating condition without significantly enhancing its value.

Typically one of the owner's children are the trustee of the revocable trust, he/she can take control of the properties, appoint another sibling or sell or do maintain them.Can someone guide me or point me to a legal expert for this specialization in Virginia please?

Keep rent a little bit below market and keep the property maintained and you can get great responsible tenants.