Real estate is transactional where people are involved so it won't be a black and white answer.The best to do is to find an agent that fits your needs and guide you through the process.

My humble advice to anyone attempting to do creative finance is:Creative finance is for experienced investors who have access to capital if anything goes wrong.Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal levelLearn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are neededKnow everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.

So, he already had people & processes in place when he moved back to California and continued to DIY manage his rentals.- It's also interesting that he doesn't want to DIY manage anymore.

For instance, in my private lending, I dont really give a numerical credit score much weight, but I absolutely look at the composition and history of the individual tradelines on a report if the borrower is a smaller outfit, such as a single member LLC or similar solopreneur-type operator.

After the operator exceeds 90 days in a calendar year, the conditional use permit process must be started.

In the long run, I want to have properties that are producing strong cash flow (eventually would love to own small apartment buildings and syndicate larger deals), but it seems that focusing on cash flow and reinvesting those cash flows will be a slower process than focusing on properties prime for appreciation or with opportunities for forced appreciation.

Each state might have different process.  

Hey Adam keep grinding - it sure does take a village but each property you get the more you'll make and the faster the process goes. 

Though I would caution you on hard money lending until you understand the industry a bit better, that can be very rewarding but you have to be able to do your due diligence on deals because you're turning over your hard-earned money to an individuals project, often a flip. 

Most likely the new lender is going throught the foreclosure process and typically will end up taking the property back.The original posters chances of getting this property back now is slim to none as it will be sold at market value.