There is a guy on here who posted a very extensive thread about a SoCal development project, he might be a good contact for you.  

@Ryan Edwards Hey Ryan, I've got a good contact.

It's important to listen to your intuition (gut feeling or spidey-sense too), but back up your decisions with real data.

If anyone is searching for a contractor, please dont hesitate to contact me. 

You may want to contact a company like ProTitleUSA and order a title report which would tell you who is recorded as the first lien holder, as well foreclosure recordings (dangerous if on the 1st), tax liens, municipal liens, possible HOA liens, etc. 

I guess I can't post his contact info here but feel free to connect/message me and I'll get it to you.

Contact 2 or 3 to interview them personally then make your choice.TD Ameritrade and Fidelity do not offer truly "self-directed" IRA, they might offer some control, but only within confines of their allowed investments, which is confined to the stock market and does not include alternative investments such as private lending. 

Contact someone on Fivrr or Uber and pay them to drive by and take pictures and text them to you.

Back of the napkin is good for seeing if something is just not worth your time, but you need hard data to really evaluate any deal, Turnkey or otherwise. 

With combining some simple door/window sensor, a smart thermostat, and a good web interface provider to combine this data you can have great peace of mind.