If you're at ground zero and you want to get into some bigger deals, you simply must bring some sort of value to the table.Listen to how @Joe Fairless explains it here:Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants

There have been a few bumps in the road but thankfully I have an excellent property management team who has lifted a lot of burden off my shoulders. 

I would say buying a distressed house and depending on someone to fix it up after the sell is a huge risk--a risk that falls 100% on your shoulders. 

That said, the devil on my shoulder wants me to find out just how low these lien holders are willing to negotiate.

People are willing to work with me and I don't have to look over my shoulder after a deal is done.

I want to be hands on and be in control of the deal, but at the same time I want to let them do their job and not be looking over their shoulder the entire time.

It means they can screw people as they are "helping" them, within the limits of the law, and no one is looking over their shoulder.

Just wait for the court and sheriff's department to finish the process.Also, it seems the parents and brother should shoulder as much, if not more, of the blame for this situation than the girlfriend. 

So you need to have an underwriting and credit analysis on your tenant's ability to pay, and since the tenant is shouldering the cost as a homeowners now, you may want to escrow certain costs up front too. in any way, you will be act like a bank and plan for the worst (i.e. long process of foreclosure if things dont work out).

How to find deals: My experience, wait until the shoulder season and look for FSBO's in areas you are intimately familiar with.