You can solve for the principle and interest payments from there, which will lead you to what a loan balance can be. 

Many times you can solve this with them by doing an owner carry. 

After 5 years, nothing is solved, nothing has changed = they have been living for free in that property for 5 years. 

SBA has a bunch of morons that don't have a clue.

I HATE it when I see all the big guys in SEO and lead generation act the Guru when they have NO FRIGGIN CLUE what they are talking about!

Your best play at buying at auction and being smart about it is to:- Run your numbers excellently- Assume it's in rough condition, work off the exterior clues you can observe- Call the utility companies and get the past 12-24 month bills from the house (indicates systems functioning, etc)- See if you can get some "advanced info", like former zillow rental pics, old MLS photos, a neighbor that has the scoop, etc.There are some deals to be had, but it's a far cry from the "pennies on the dollar" world of pre-2015 auctions. 

We want to get into long-term rentals but have no clue where to start.

Beyond that, it's about helping them solve a problem, and sometimes that problem is not what you think it is. 

Look for problem properties, look to add value, look to solve a sellers problem; otherwise the house-hack isn't going to save you much money and it probably won't cash-flow when you move out. 

After all, an appraiser who lives four hours away and has never been to your neck of the woods might not have a clue what's going on there.