Other things you can do:Talk to neighbors with similar housing types and ask about foundation issues -- if the houses were built by the same developer sometimes there will be common themes throughout a developmentDetermine the type and age of the foundation.

@John Pearl I live in California and invest in Indy with a similar plan :)You have come to the right place, and I look forward in hearing how you do in your chosen market!

I underwrote the income according to similar market rents (rentometer.com) and estimated the expenses from the hip.

If you do not have MLS access, I would speak to a trusted real estate agent and see what the DOM and price /Sq Ft is for similar homes in that area.

Been in the biz 30 yrs. like many similar subdivisions, I think the market is oversold.

For any JV investors, we classify that as a Liability and treat similar to a loan. 

We are in a very similar boat! 

@Ronald Rohde: Either I was misunderstood or didn't explain myself well enough when I said 'flat concrete roof' - I don't mean a true flat roof, I only meant instead of the curved concrete tiles (used to be clay originally) that characterize the Mediterranean style, which would not be in line with the styles prevalent in Texas, and I meant that possibly they could make roof tiles flat instead of curved, therefore look similar to composition but last much longer. 

This is the webpage I came up with for access to probate information for Wayne County:https://public.wcpc.us/eservices/search.page.3.3?

Much more cash flow stability there, and in many other similar states..  4-plexes here are in some pretty rough spots..