@Theresa Harris thanks for the reply! 

The economic, political and social problems we're having today probably have some insightful precedents in the past that we can learn from, and hopefully help us prepare to survive and prosper.What books, articles, sites or whatever are you reading to help you learn to survive, adapt, keep and protect what you have, and hopefully prosper?

Thank you @Nathan G and @Theresa Harris for valuable advice.

Thank you for your quick responses and suggestions @Theresa Harris and @John T.

Here is  a link from VA.Gov that covers. https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/surviving-spouse/BP won't let me paste link so typed it out. 

We survived that by a miracle but within a few more years - we were divorced and with more debt than ever.

As far as the due diligence steps, in general they include:Find a dealSecure your fundingDetermine if there are any liens that will survive a tax deed purchaseGet a detailed property reportVerify what you can sell it for quicklyDevelop several options to exitGet the deedWork your planCertainly there a a numbers of steps in between, but this a basic outline.Best regards,George  

The Sale of a Lifetime: How the Great Bubble Burst of 2017-2019 Can Make You Rich by Harry S.

Not sure I'm killing it but I'm surviving so far:so the first question I have is are the rents at (more or less) market value?

Choices/investments determine our quality of survival.