Pipes will leak, roofs will leak, Mother Nature will strike.  

I'm new to real estate investing and interested in purchasing a multifamily home (duplex or triplex) in Cleveland, OH or other naturally climate resilient and affordable markets.

We have a surplus of about $15k a month on average which we’ve just been saving in a regular checking account.

The auction will just be like a regular auction.

And since you're renting out part of the regular living space you probably haven't dedicated that portion as investment on your tax return. 

.* Create a spreadsheet that is regularly updated with Home Depot Pricing, then when you look at the house, you can plug in quantity of things you need, to estimate repair costs.

Do we get a HELOC on our current home, and then use that as the 25% down payments and then use regular mortgages loans for investments properties, so we can get multiple properties over the years?  

Nature and provider of the utilities (city water or well, city sewer or septic, other utility sources and whether or not they are direct billed to the tenant or not)Age of the parkUnderground infrastructure age and condition (have there been any repairs?)

These assets qualify for 100% bonus depreciation as well as regular depreciation and section 179 expense rules.

You'll want to find someone who works with investors and understands the kind of pricing an investor needs vs a regular homeowner who'll pay 50k to redo a kitchen.Also, try joining local real estate Facebook groups and ask for references there as well.