@Garrett Wilson, if you were "buying directly from the seller", how on earth did the wholesaler get involved?

Someone familiar with the area and flood plain maps should be able to compare the maps and various online resources (google earth) and have a pretty good idea if it is in or out. 

I remember when all the little growers (who were the ones always going to jail) thought heaven had arrived on earth when it was legalized.

Many times the offer memorandum will have the population numbers on it (take them with a grain of salt), then use google earth to approximate the size of the competition.

So far it really hasn’t said anything that’s earth shattering.

A house in (random B class neighborhood) the midwest/south costs 100k and rents for 1200.00 a monthA house in (random B class neighborhood) NYC  costs 800k and rents for 2500-4000 a month.Why on earth would anyone wanna buy in NY???

Zillow, Redfin, Trulia, local county website, Google Maps/Earth, etc....you can get a pretty good idea of the condition and neighborhood most properties are in just using available technology.   

Never take a chance on something like structure earth stability. 

What is the foundation and earth stability like?

Would also add "Down to Earth Landlording" by Donald Beck to the list.