For example I have my eye on a quad but I need about $170k cash to buy and rehab.

If so, you don't have a squatter, you likely have a tenant with tenants rights in the eyes of the law.

The crews had not been able to catch up with it as it was actively shedding.

Also, since Akron and Canton are sort of downstream of Cleveland's market it's a good idea to keep an eye on it anyway, even if I don't have a presence there. 

I also use Forewarn, a reverse phone lookup/name search service, which has been helpful for catching things the background check from Zillow Rental Manager does not reveal.

Sale-Leasebacks have inherent challenges because the tenant/seller is incentivized to market the property in such a way they get they price they want, but if the entity who signs the lease is weak and there's no personal guarantor, they could stop paying rent the day after you close leaving you high and dry with very little legal remedy.I don't know your market, but in my eyes, any 10% cap offering is either an extremely weak tenant OR a tenant that has very little term remaining with no plans to renew.If I were, you I would very seriously consider how much I like the real estate and what my odds would be of refilling the real estate with the same or better rent and/or a better credit tenant once this tenant goes belly up.

Unless you have a good eye for design, I highly recommend getting a professional.

In my eyes this created a bloat. 

I'm doing some research now to identify potential areas to keep an eye on and possibly connect with an investor-oriented local agent in each of the areas we're considering.  

Specifically, eyeing entry-level markets with all in purchase + rehab between $80k to $170k.What markets do you think I could maximize the likelihood of recouping most, if not all, of my cash?