Again, I speak from experience. my limited experince at this is a trier of fact will side with the land owner most all the time.I bought a tax sale prop in CA .. these are tax sales not tax certs. 

A good ol fashion phone call or house visit would probably solve your problem. 

She has a deep understanding of the local markets and can help you identify properties that align with your goals.I’d be happy to set up a call to discuss your plans in more detail and share insights about neighborhoods, strategies, and what to expect when you visit.

I lived in a college town and student rentals did very well as did STRs for parents coming in to visit their children.  

Worried about saturation, thinking about going hard on the themes to appeal to visiting families.

I've settled on wanting to do Commercial Real Estate Multifamily 20+ units, Class B, C in Texas or California. 

We pay $850 for a WH install, so, that seems high but you are in CA.

I am currently located in The Bay Area, California and I am little nervous about  investing out of state but I thought I would give other cheaper markets a shot other than my backyard which is expensive.

typically no special license is needed when doing it for hard money loans that I am aware of. there may be states like california and nevada that are tricky where lenders need a license of some sort but for most part brokers i have seen are not licensed. 14 or 15 states require state license and NMLS registration.

Chasing foreclosures is a big concern in California and some other states.