I can't think of any pros other than not many people are targeting them (that I know of...)Cons: More likely to have solid financials, which makes them less likely to need you to "rescue" themMore likely to be professional & educatedMore likely to come from a family with decent connections (lawyer, realtor, investment advisor, etc)More likely the property is in a trust because the family intends to keep it.Personally, I scrub my probate & expired lists of trusts and LLC-owned properties.

I figured that getting my license and working in an agency with successful sales people will give me a wealth of knowledge as well as earn the opportunity to get income through my sales skills (spent time as a financial advisor for Prudential Financial, I also had stints in sales with AFLAC).If you can, I would love some awesome feedback on everything from: *What I need to know about working with a brokerage firm (membership dues, office politics, commission splits, location, size, etc)*How I should start investigating my market,*What kind of time and money I should be prepared to invest to get results in real estate sales,*Tips on getting into the commercial sector,And anything in between!

Let me put that another way: if they were presenting on the CNBC show "Shark Tank" what would they be offering as a financial return for my investment and over what period of time?

Hard to say without more information about your circumstances. 

The belief that the IRS will accept a few hundred dollars for the removal of a lien in which significant equity exists is based on a fantasy of urban myths or examples in which very unusual circumstances existed.In most cases, after a long drawn out process, the IRS may accept less than face value of the lien if the property sells for somewhere in the general range of its appraised value. 

Mortgage bankers will consult you based on your overall long term financial goals.

Any advice on what my mother could do financially with the sale income without buying another property?

They will need to see the last few years tax returns, bank statements for the last 6-12 months, pay statement, and probably have you fill out a personal financial statement showing assets and liabilities.You don't want to wait until you have something under contract to do this.

What would you do with/where would you put the money to work (real estate or not) if you had aspirations of being financially free in 10 years?

Perform your Due Diligence, Review the Financials and Budget, Reserve Study, ByLaws and Rules, Is it Rentable, What are the Board Members like, FHA Financing Available, etc.