What was your process to lock in on that market? 

My though process in undercutting the bank by 1 % was to possibly attract qualified buyers.

I negotiated by being honest and transparent about every step in the process.

How was the permitting process with the city?

The renovation process included modernizing outdated features, updating plumbing and electrical systems, and enhancing curb appeal.

The process is a lot easier if you find the right agent.  

-Transfer the property into an LLC – This may allow me to take ownership while potentially avoiding property tax reassessment, however this sounds like an involved process-Establish a living trust for my aunt and mother – The trust would specify that I inherit the property upon their passing and provide step up in cost basis but i'm worried that the living trust can be modified to have me removed (who knows what can happen) - My mother is somewhat volatile.I would like to live in the property and my mother will live in her second property with her husband. 

Certainly nothing ground-breaking in terms of ideas here, however I'll be very hands on (and on site) during the process to make sure that every step of the way is executed to a high standard and very carefully.Once I've hopefully developed a successful track record and gained experience, my next goal would be to move on to commercial assets (think multi-family, industrial etc) so that I can leverage my existing investor network and real estate knowledge to raise 3rd party equity and take on bigger projects.

Yea, the area is not the best and the passed 2-3 months is always pretty tough to rent.

They were abandoned and needed significant work which wasn't a huge issue but in terms of HUD owned properties i heard there can be significant processing periods.