Even if the owner has passed, there are procedures to transfer the title to a new owner.If it is truly abandoned for a decade, usually a tax buyer will purchase the taxes and in time take control of the property.Start with research on the ownership and history of the property through a title search.

My goal is to create passive income from real estate and the plan is to use my business (dental & braces) as my launch pad.

You'll need to know the procedures for whatever the system is there....tax lien, certificate, deed, redemptions, foreclosure proceedings, etc.

These are called your SOP's or standard operating procedures.

Things like attracting new clients, what to charge for and how much, procedures for signing a client, what specifics to add in the management agreement and any pitfalls or situations to avoid.

It was a pretty clean process, but the loans were purchase money, so California civil code of procedures 580D came into effect during negotiating.

This includes bringing in the remaining residential properties and managing them with a business focus and structured rules and procedures (so property taxes are in escrow).Given this reason and your suggestions:1.

The only difference between selling a property cash and a conventional mortgage is that the bank procedures aren't involved, so a lot of hassle regarding pay stubs and credit reports are no longer needed.This still means you need the documents necessary from a legal perspective, which your attorney should be supplying. 

In addition to many of the procedural maneuvers that they can use to delay, a judge will probably not readily be sympathetic to your side due to the steep increase.  

This is why they have systems and procedures.