(And offered to pay to fix it)What concerns me is she did not reach out to the person below or contact anyone .

Especially if you are willing to pay 5% already.

I also wouldn't consider that part of my investment because I'm actually not taking money out of my pocket to pay it down. 

Seller is paying the buyer's broker at closing (ME) $8250 and 'contributing' another $8250 towards buyers closings costs. 

Either the homeowner loses $300k in equity or pays $120k to pay off a $500 lien. 

Explain the damages that can and will result and that he/she would be responsible to pay for any damages.Most likely probably doing it to save money in heating costs. 

We are realizing that this home doesn't fit our lifestyle anymore and we want to pay down debt and start saving to buy our first rental property. 

Acquisitions team, renovation crews (fully licensed and insured), Property Management, and a Real Estate Investment Brokerage in case you ever decide to sell.By teaming up with a solid firm you can mitigate your risk and have some "boots on the ground" that have your best interest in mind.  

Now you need to figure out how to find deals and pay for them.

@Mohammad Al-Abbasi Batch does have an upgrade you can pay for 59$ per month to pull list data.