I believe it's an advantage to do a live in flip as you can go at your own speed and make improvements on your own schedule and even do some of the work yourself and gain some experience. 

If done, it will:  improve the curb appeal , lower maintenance, create more privacy,and add rv parking.

Who will pay the taxes on that portion of land and improvements ?

By Oct or Nov the names and parcel #s going up for 3yr back taxes are posted for the December auction.I would send a generic postcard to the ones that actually had improvements on it that appeared to have equity. 

Previous money that my wife and I spent in rent ($1200/mo) now goes to improvements.

So the deal is not as home run as it seems, though still a solid investment if you don't have to knock out a bunch of capital improvements right off the bat. 

Once you have a team you feel you can trust you'll feel way more confident about what's going on. 

Given where we are in the cycle, if the numbers make sense in today's market, but not in a worst-case scenario, I personally would not pursue the deal.That being said, you shouldn't NOT buy properties just because of where we are in the cycle, you just have to run the numbers very well, be confident in them, and plan for the worst-case scenario.Robert Leonard

The 1968 Law would be consistent with what you are saying, but the 1988 Amendments modify the 1968 law, I am confident the panel of Lawyers at the Realtors Association would easily defend their position in court.

Decided to hold once market improved.