If you were in my shoes, what would you prioritize at this stage of the journey?

If you catch these at the pre-foreclosure stage as slow pays or initially in default all the better as the bank has less in collection expense.You can still work out a discount but even buying at the payoff it can be profitable depending on the property value.You can practically force a lender to sell as it can fully indemnify them as a full payoff as demanded, continuing with a foreclosure becomes a rather vengeful act by the bank to punish a borrower, they don't want to go there.

Photo quality is important to drive traffic, and staging can improve photos and prospect appreciation during tours. 

I am a former interior designer and did a great deal of work staging homes for sale.

For vacant units, consider virtual staging through VirtualStaging.ai or something like that to help prospective tenants visualize the space.Hope this helps expand your marketing toolkit.

Holding on to three properties might not be the best thing for me to do in this stage of the game now.

Higher-end finishes and staging make sense for a flip but aren’t always ideal for a rental.

Both allege they were his common-law spouse.I am imagining this playing out like a live Jerry Springer episode, with probate court as the stage and legal claims as the punches.

That's only Map Phase I:)Map Phase II coming end of month (hope).We've got Phases III & IV already in the planning stages:)

Maybe it's early stages of a growth market.