After this, I would suggest building regular rent increases into your lease agreements.

Might as wait until auction or regular REO sale on the MLS.If the house has equity, the owner probably would have just sold it before hand.

@Richard YergerA) It is recommended..B) In CA along with the regular estate purchase agreement the additional Probate Purchase Agreement is required.

Many these days walk away from marriage completely able to finance a new life working full time jobs & if they are lucky receiving regular child support payments.  

However now asking many title friends, they say if the redemption period is finished, they can do regular sale and transfer.  

Meet regularly.

Check out the various meetup.com gatherings in the Baltimore area, talk/meet with landlords in your target areas, listen to the awesome podcasts, tutorials, and review the books/webinars/tutorial here, continue networking, find the ever elusive balance between your regular career and real estate, and you will be on your way. 

Both yield nearly identical total ROI (including equity payout and cash-flow).  

The property manager charges regular monthly management fees when the property is vacant, so I think they should be at least partially responsible for the cost of plumbing fix.Please kindly share your thoughts or experience, really appreciate it.

I talk to her regularly.