I would encourage you to find your WHY then formulate a strategy you are comfortable with.

@George Krajacic Thanks for the encouraging words.

Ok, now that you have taken your initial step, below are some quick links to get engaged. http://www.biggerpockets.com/starthere http://www.biggerpockets.com/ubg http://www.biggerpockets.com/meet Setting up Keyword Alerts How to Use @Mentions on BiggerPockets 25 Tips for Real Estate SuccessREI can be very daunting, but, before you go searching for that 1st buy, please take a few minutes to bone up on the tips in link below.http://www.realestate.com/advice/buying-your-first-investment-property/ However, this site thrives on interactions and as such we encourage two way exchanges and look forward to educational and thought provoking ideas relevant to REI.

Why dont we form together to encourage one another.

I would encourage you to specifically calculate your cost of capital expenditures over time.

Thank you so much for the words of encouragement!!

This is humiliating, so we are considering hiring mom's regular caregivers from the agency to just come help my mom eat her meals in her room and encourage her to be engaged when we are not there. 

I would encourage you to take the opportunity to stroll/drive through the areas you are interested in, get a feel for those areas and check any of the inventory being shown.  

I'd encourage you to reach out to more experienced investors in your area!

Cash for keys is probably going to be the cheapest because I'm sure California fines won't be cheap and neither will attorney fees.Once you get her out I strongly encourage your dad to get the building legal…although not really sure what that means in this case but would want to go down the same road again.