I've decided to focus on the learning as much as I can about lending/financing options so I'm well equipped when opportunities come.

What you should focus on is what improvements will allow you to raise the rents in the building?

Otherwise you would be playing a "slow mans game" if you only focused on cash flow.

Because of this experience I am looking for a CPA who focuses on Real Estate and preferably has personal experience with their own properties. 

I would still use this website: https://adtech.dailyjournal.com/legalAds/ to research new probate files at this courthouse in LA county: http://www.lacourt.org/courthouse/info/laAnd to research new probate files in Orange county I would go to this courthouse:http://www.occourts.org/index.htmlFor marketing I would focus and mail to PR's that live outside of CA (GA, N.J., WY, FL, TX, etc.,) as they would be more motivated to sell.To be honest it wouldn't take 1 month to close a deal.But I have enough on my plate here in N.

However, I have decided to focus on Baltimore.

I would focus on choosing a particular market or markets that you are interested in investing at.

CD is really your only option if you can get good terms.At this time I would focus on price, if you think he is over valued you may have to conduct an appraisal to get him to believe it. 

I personally would go Union or Cabarrus county focusing in the cities of Concord, Kannapolis, Stallings, Indian Trail. 

This is important because our properties were appraised with commercial land sale comparisons, in addition to residential home sales.Anyways, my focus now is on how to best use the settlement in regards to taxes and investing opportunities.