I am in North Jersey and I am sourcing a top Central Jersey investor-friendly agent for someone now so I can pass that along.

Auctions and tax foreclosures have been my only source.

Since, pre-foreclosure properties seem to be an opportune source for potential deals, I subscribed to an MLS search site that provides property foreclosure/pre-foreclosure information. 

Assuming your mothers income had withholding, they should really owe nothing, unless there are other sources of income here that you are not mentioning.Converting the basement to a legally rentable unit requires permitting as such and proper zoning on the property.

and well to make it short, my conclusion was " I was not doing things right" "I failed my self and my family for relying on outside sources to take care of us" This time going forward I am more committed than ever to pursue my journey in investing and never again rely on things that are not in my control dictate my well being. 

My only other source was to look at my completion (as a potential s8 renter online) but I don’t know how to tell if it’s accurate.

Not a good place to start or to be your primary source if you are a beginner.

Its also a great way to learn how to generate your own motivated seller leads so you can source your own deals instead of buying them on the MLS (you will most likely pay too much).

So I could potentially have 3 sources of income.

I'll be sourcing the deal and handling due diligence, financing, management etc.