We have not done anything on the land yet because its very far from all our primary residences and does not have basic things like a well paved road and a water source.

A lender would have to be a fool to lend on collateral that wasn't protected - if the house is lost in a fire or whatever, the loan is unsecured at that point and is basically credit card debt. 

Focus on Cash Flow Early On:While appreciation is the long-term play, as a beginner, I'd recommend focusing on cash-flowing properties to provide you with a safety net and help you ride out any market fluctuations.

Food in fridge is from April this year and it basically looks like someone was half way through moving out and then something happened and so a bunch of stuff is still in house. specifically one room filled with about 10 burner phones, 3 tvs, personal clothes, mail, kids personal items and bunch of random stuff new with tags, etc etc. he also had pets which was against lease term. one of the rooms was used as a pet room completely destroying carpet and staining walls with urine etc. 

With lower rates (mid 5s) I am expecting prices to jump again in spring, as they have done basically every year for the last 15.

Please note the information provided below is a layman's definition designed to provide a basic understanding for the general audience.

I have no prior experience in real estate, however, am fortunately enough to have access to sources of income besides a fixed job salary that provides me additional CF and a long-term safety net.

Basically put together a list of comparable apartments that are currently available for rent.

What's the basic steps if the house isn't habitable?  

Hey Harrison,I have almost two months or so in this real estate wholesaling journey (which basically makes me a rookie as well) and also graduated from college back in April from computer science, but I can tell you that this industry is much more appealing due to its potential.