There's also free services for tenants to pay their rent online which include some light accounting features.

You could offer cash for keys to get her out-NEVER hand over any money until they are out and you have the keys and signed paperwork that they are out of the property. 

I'm not sure if that would bring in enough money but it would certainly make things easier financially speaking while you built up your real estate portfolio. 

Offer to be the guy that restores the old family property to it's former glory and all....Still it'll be hard to not look greedy because you do want to make money after all.....main thing to me is being super PATIENT.

Making money and keeping money are not the same thing. 

The question I'm up against is what private money is going for these days for a build with this much room for upside.

The County is holding what will be their second public meeting on the topic this Monday, from 5:30PM until 7:30PM at AB Tech (and online). 

(and money of course, but that can come from these things)

Unfortunately, while all the online places area great sources of information, you are much less likely to take action, or find someone to shadow, when online in a forum. 

New York is hard to evict people and you'll end up spending more time and money doing it yourself.