Regarding the slow activity, my realtor friend indicates that home owners tends to remain in the area without selling.  

The house I live in which I bought three years ago for 30K just appraised for 75K and that's with a Wells Fargo drive-by appraisal which tend to be low.

But I need to one, prevent the weeds from growing back, and two, figure out a low cost low maintenance option to cover the dirt ground so it can be a nice enough outdoor area.This is for a C property for reference but the area is quickly changing and and the tenant base tends to be 25-35 year old's.

As you said, the houses in the sub 50,000 range tend to be in "bad" neighborhoods.

There are probably 1,000 people here that have a plan that *isn't* working so I'd be happy if I were in your shoes.I will say that even "yield plays" (no value add rehab) tend to have a tough time in Year 1.

Once the floor is clean, follow by an application of a vapor sealant product specifically for concrete (we sell this)  and an epoxy concrete floor coating. 

Whether it's time, distance or construction costs, we all tend to underestimate.

Here's Wells Fargo's:https://reo.wellsfargo.com/Home-Search.aspx I would tend to disagree with you on the Bank's position with regards to REO's.

Direct rental properties seem to fit that bill since everybody still needs a place to live and rentals (if not the rates) will tend to increase, if anything. 

Bookkeepers tend to charge for services in two different ways. 1) Hourly: usually at or around $20-50 an hour, but this number can vary wildly depending on the level of service you're getting.