(i.e. beach chairs,bikes).

You can also do the leg work and find the previous owners and offer them a couple hundred for their time to sign a Quiet Claim deed to you.

Over time I'm building local knowledge and seeing which areas seem to have the types of properties that appeal to me.Not an exact answer - but it just takes some leg work to start building local knowledge and see if Springfield (or an area therein) will appeal to you.

Break a leg

I want to ensure that I am doing enough, and that I have a leg to stand on here as I stand my ground on the issue.

Yes you would be entitled to cash flow with no risk each month, but if these places require any amount of leg work then it simply isn't worth the time invested. 

This isn't something you can do from home it takes a lot of leg work for very little return. 

And, to make matters worse--I don't have a leg to stand on because it's my side that can't perform and come to the table with the loan and we're already past the loan objection deadline. 

Keep in mind, a 40k with a new roof, new HVAC and rehabbed nicely is going to be worth about the same as a  32k home with a old roof, HVAC system on its last leg and deferred maintenance.$750 on 40k is a good yield on paper.

I have started working with a broker in my area that does all the leg work for me, but he's also just focused on commercial deals.