Drive around the neighborhoods to understand the lay of the land - if you have someone who will take you around and explain, better yet. 

I would say it could be done, just need to have the following:#1 - Have great overall knowledge of that market, and better than agents.#2 - Learn how to run comps so you know the value of the property better than anyone. #3 - Have finances in order (i.e) is this going to be bought through conventional, cash, HML, etc.

One more tip hit town homes and condo communities in the area.

Why not the MLS?

Their children (now in their late 40s) inherited the house, but they have not listed it on the market, and I heard that neither is willing to move into it from their current setup, so the property has been sitting vacant.

I have a few follow up questions:1) What's an example of "get referrals and cross reference them to get as much accurate information as possible"? 

A few things to ask are the following:1.

Just an extra couple of clicks to do.

Because they are also the janitor and the secretary.

Please note the information provided below is a layman's definition designed to provide a basic understanding for the general audience.