The choices are:- Seed Lawn- Sod Lawn- Drought resist lanscapingMy broker is encouraging me to use sod for a quick sale, but the irrigation district has limited watering to two days a week.The neighborhood is about fifty years old without HOA restrictions.

If cash flow is what you are seeking, then parts of DC, PG County, Baltimore, Frederick are better bets than NoVa.  

I have noticed anyone and everyone in South Florida thinks they should get a real estate license; I would be a proponent of making it much more difficult to et a license, maybe resulting in individuals getting a license as a career choice, not a weekend whim.

I can appreciate your choice to invest out of your area. 

In any case, if you are looking at lower end properties, I think Indianapolis and Kansas City are you best bets.

If I read that as the seller, I'm going to counter higher and betting on your sentiment, I will get the price I'm after.Your state should have a basic residential purchase contract available online.

As an owner I accepted the fact that I had to pay but now as an investor and making that choice, it would not be to purchase another property that has HOA.

If I could find a way to bet on it I would-  mountain house, Ca here I come ; )

Your best bet is to correct the issues and get it looking good.

The prior action might even have made things more difficult if a large amount of back payments were in a repayment plan that would likely require payment now.As for gaining control of his estate, you need to decide if it makes sense (if there is lots of equity remaining after payment of debts) and if you are the best choice for resolving this, especially if you have the financial resources and understanding to resolve.If you don't think you are up to these challenges, you won't have to be concerned with either repairing the house or the debt.