An out of state tax deed holder just boarded the property here in Birmingham and hasn't done anything with it for years.

Additionally since insurance costs are born by all policy holders is it fare to allow any person to qualify for insurance when the likely hood is that their home will be repeatedly damaged or destroyed in the future.

Another idea, if you want to be sure you have legally licensed contractors, might be to mine your states Contractor License Board for license holders within a region around your projects.  

There are some "investor" visa categories (as there are for the US), but usually looking at a high six or low seven figure USD amount to make it a go.

If the mortgage holder no longer exists then you can file a quiet title action to release the mortgage.  

On your specific question I'll follow the discussion to see what the attorneys out there will say, but the agent is the real estate license holder, as issued by the state, not their company if they incorporate... so I'd imagine that "pierces the vail".But tangentially there's also the MLS rules for agents. 

I have worked on behalf of groups of investors, bond holders to CMBS loans, overseeing over $6bb in outstanding loan balances on any given day.What does that mean, and why does it matter?

@Chris TejirianIf the house is in preforeclosure it doesn't matter who the mortgage holder might be.

@Damian Robinson  Take a look at the marketplace in both markets then begin to network with deal holders.  

If the LLCs are disregarded entities then you are actually the tax payer for the properties and the LLCs are simple title holders.