Most likely, you will need to get the brother's cooperation to get the deal done.I recently got a call from an out of state owner regarding her deceased father's house in Garden Grove.

For a SFR rented or owned you have a lot more options, assuming you own it you could rent out rooms, you might also find some urban gardeners to turn your backyard into a farm, or you could do some dog sitting. 

I restrain myself from saying it is your fault.Next I get a text from SF renter on a property with a 3/4 acre yard mind you -that the dump truck guy drove on her garden.

Monthly rent: $6800 ($81600 annual)Vacancy: 5%Property tax: $12000/yrInsurance: $1550Maintenance & Repairs + Cap Ex: $5000Utilities (water, gardening, trash, electricity): $4570Total cash in pocket at end of year: $54000Cash ROI = 4.53%!!

There's a lot of competition for good deals, but if you're thinking 20 mile radius from Long beach there are tons from willmington, san pedro, lomita, torrance, carson, paramount, hawaiian gardens... man the list goes on!

I also have studio garden unit, but the city still considers the building a 2 unit.

connect it to building by the garden hose and its will be very useful for storage.

Go get landscape timbers about 3 dollars a piece and create a raised garden bed.

Also, even a SFR with no HOA will incur some expenses such as pool cleaning and gardening regardless of the property is vacant or occupied with the renters.

The house is located opposite Kenilworth Park in the Eastland Gardens neighborhood of NE Washington - a quiet, well-established and very desirable part of NE DC.