It is only when I have a regular size screen that the @ sign gets me a list to pick from.

In the Bay Area (San Francisco all the way down to San Jose) I regularly see flips with not much put into it, quick turn-around in 2 months or less and grossing 100K or more. 

Sorry to hear about your mother in law.My goals are nearly 100% identical to yours.

Find a bank willing to do this, locate a private or hard money source and purchase the house, then refi into a regular mortgage.I have been purchasing rentals this way for the last 7 years. 

I would include the SS# on the application to verify identity and if you need it down the road.

We actually organize regular meetups to learn about investing in the US property market.

Odesk makes it very easy to communicate regularly with the VA's and I've found that they have been very good at updating me with their progress and asking questions when needed. 

After spending money fixing up a property, I obviously want to make sure the tenants occupying it are not damaging or tearing anything up....whether accidentally or deliberately......or worse still, using my property as a front for some shady illegal activity    (take your pick on that one....the illegal activity that is).I also want to make sure I am on top of the stuff that will break down due to normal wear and tear and stuff that needs regular maintenance.I also want to make sure the tenants are doing their part in up keeping the property as necessary....mowing lawns, shoveling snow from sidewalks and generally maintaining a reasonably clean interior and exterior for their own good and mine.If and when the tenants do tear something up, or something breaks down due to no fault of their own, unless it adversely affects their daily routine, I would think that they most likely would not report it.

I know they say otherwise, but having traded on an institutional level pretty regularly, that is not how it goes.  

Can I negotiate prices with real estate agents from a company like Coldwell Banker and how different are they from negotiating with regular homeowners?