I have boots on the ground (my business partner & agent) who informed me of the rough state the neighborhood is in.

There are certainly many hidden opportunities here, and having boots on the ground along with a great property manager is essential.For your first property, I recommend looking for something that will provide consistent cash flow and require low maintenance for at least the next 5-10 years.

There is usually a close overlap that gives you a competitive advantage of knowledge or boots on the ground instead of nothing.

Though I never put my ear to the ground as regards STR's, I plan to , and if I come up with any useful ideas for you, I'll pass them along.

They rather burn the house to the ground than sell it.And none of it is relevant.

I found the buying process really complex and long winded in contrast to buying in the UK and so set up Dream of Lisbon to help international buyers and investors with on the ground support in finding and buying properties in the Lisbon and Portugal as a whole.Would love to discuss the market, investment opportunities and speak to anyone interested in buying in Portugal.Thanks,Hugo

Quote from @Yixiong Pan:  Yes you can do this; however, I would have boots on the ground checking in on the property to make sure that it is okay throughout the time you own it! 

The clear and obvious answer would be to instantly pay the back taxes and offer a small lump sum for them to move with and just lowball in whatever structure works for the both of you weather that is a better sale price or a greater monthly payment to them and just find your middle ground that works out for you both.

All of them would have strong pillars that go into the ground, so it's stable and safe but has a treehouse look.

Both Democrat and Republican presidential campaigns have found common ground on housing policy by proposing the use of federal lands for homebuilding.