The oft repeated advice to go to family first.

Get copies of T-12 and further back if possible, tax returns, rental agreements, software subscriptions, retail components and inventory if any like moving supplies and rental division. 

First of all there are many aspects of realestate investing and trust me all of t hem are not ethical.

These are 4 adult children who could do so much more with their lives but know nothing better  Again, middle class   entitled, live the good life on others expenses (just 2 oft them) Always struggling.

My advice above wasn't to you specifically so much as it was to any investor in general to consider this before pulling the trigger on the oft-touted route to wealth we hear so much of on the BP podcasts. 

The tenant is issued a check for a portion of t he rent and she still submits it late. 

This is an oft-overlooked part of a real estate agent's job - to borrow from the above metaphor, your lawyer is 100% allowed to present evidence to a judge and jury that would support your legal position.

Look at Detroit for example - oft maligned on BP podcasts, but there are now pockets of the city that are coming back.Long story short, I wouldn't write New England off. 

The topic is oft litigated and regulation preemptions vary across the US.

Luckily gold went up a lot in that time.It's extremely liquid.An important thing to keep in mind is that gold coins don't have value just for their weight in gold (of course that would not be true in the oft-lambasted apocalypse scenario).