If you want to prevent insurance claims I'd just look for a brick exterior and make sure your roof is insurable before close! 

”Continuing on…And while the other guy is showing her these picts apparently he has her sign up for some “Rewards Membership” monthly subscription for preventive maintenance.

They give me the motivation to pursue things that, although make me uncomfortable, make me want to become a better version of myself.Food for thought, if you find yourself going nowhere for whatever reason, consider the things that prevent you from taking another step forward.

It might cost you a few dollars, but may be worth preventing a headache later.I was in a house just today that had what was most likely an unpermitted renovation done many years ago.

If the seller still will not comply you can file a notice on public record that's equivalent to a lien that would prevent the seller from being able to sell the home to anyone else.

You want a seasoned agent working on the preventive maintenance part of the deal and a good bank to walk you through the process.   

If it’s behind the wall I’m not sure if it’s their fault since they can’t clean, but also I could’ve fixed it sooner and prevented it from spreading.

I’d consider trying to look at the types of repairs you’re getting called out to this property for and see if there’s some way you can help reduce them either through preventative maintenance or through upgrades as units turn over.

The way I would prevent that is by having a partner on the phone checking the records while I'm literally sitting at the auction to avoid that slippage. 

Unclear if the lien has expired, and if surplus funds would go to the COA According to the COA State laws i found this:Thelien is not effective 1 year after the claim of lien was recordedunless, within that time, an action to enforce the lien is commenced.The 1-year period is automatically extended for any length of timeduring which the association is prevented from filing a foreclosureaction by an automatic stay resulting from a bankruptcy petitionfiled by the parcel owner or anyother person claiming an interest in the parcel.