What would happen to the tertiary market if suddenly larger buyers stopped selling because of pressure from the regulators?

Not a clean title, but we waited and put pressure (and did most of the searching ourselves)  I also used a local title agent, which is what saved us. 

They have no way of knowing or gauging how hard or easy this is. 

Also, they also require a pressure sealer to seal properly.

There are signals to look for to gauge market cycles.  

What resources do you use to gauge the quality of the area?

Home prices are still well below 2007 levels, although there is a lot of upward pressure in the sub $250k range as inventory is becoming more limited. 

Walking the property (interior & exterior) provides a great opportunity to discuss any maintenance items with the tenant and give a gauge of how current condition vs move in condition or past inspection condition.

@Brianne ChardPlumbing is decent, will need minor changes due to Kitchen and Bathroom remodels but mostly copper pipe and standard 12 gauge insulated wiring throughout (with a few minor exceptions). 

In order to contact the seller to gauge motivation,  we look up the owner of vacant properties on the county website and then use online tools to find a phone number and mailing address.