If someone needs temporary housing I have some untenanted units in the Quad Cities that I'd be happy to provide for temporary use until this all gets sorted out.

@Aaron PetersonI moved your thread to the landlords forum.Snow removal ... it will be here before you know it ... .I've already put our RFQ as we were not happy with our service in one city last winter.In our experience, when it comes to landscaping/lawncare and snow removal, anytime you cannot define where one tenant's domain ends and another begins, the obligation falls to the landlord.If you have a side-by-side duplex or a row of townhouses where each tenant has their own drive and patch of green, you can hand-off snow removal and lawn care to the tenant ... though you are just as often better served to take care of it yourself and bake it into the rent.Anytime you have stacked units or a block (such as a small purposely built quadruplex), the parking and green space are common areas (just like stairwells in the interior) and fall to the landlord.

If you are buying on "contract" the City of Des Moines requires a third-party inspection from an approved vendor (seriously) and are potentially moving towards having city inspectors conduct the inspection (speculation).  

I won't be able to research the whole city.

-I constructed my team to consist of the cream of the crop Property Management Team in Dallas, a partner that owns and operates 200M in Real Estate, and I moved to the city that I invest so that I can submerge myself in the market... super check.I don't think that the credibility and experience I've amassed is anything special, but I do think that it sufficient enough to entice warm traffic for a conversation about investing with us..By warm traffic I mean family and friends who have consistently asked that I let them know when I get a deal that they'd be able to participate in (and my goodness what a deal this is). 

We are searching for a house with a guesthouse, duplex, triplex or four plex in the urban core of Oklahoma City.

In my city they leave the water in the landlords name for just that purpose and they won't usually turn it off.  

Every three years city will reappraise the value of homes.

Not sure where are you located in southeast missouri - there is a REIA group in Springfield and then a bunch in Kansas City and one that meets in Columbia.  

Does anyone have recommendations for lawyers who are specialized in tenant/landlord issues, especially familiar with Hudson county: jersey city, west New York, union city, and north bergen?