@Jacob Beg The foreclosure purchaser should be considered a successor in interest to the prior owner and as such should be able to obtain a current payoff statement without the authorization of the prior owner. 

I know that nothing can substitute going into the area and talking to experienced investors and local authorities.

there's foreclosure.com which has homes in pre-foreclosure, find sellers by conacting your local probate attorney to give you a list of probate houses that have been authorized to sell by the county, or check your good ole county tax assessor for property tax defaulters and offer to buy their homes and make sure your offer clears the lien on the house.

I also included a notice regarding a family member of hers that had moved in that is not an authorized occupant, but she stated that the individual would vacate in a few days. 

Buses to NY port authority are nearby.

Call the local water authority and get last year's bills.Vacancy might be a touch low. 8% is more typical, but this is very local.Management will probably be 10%.I'm also curious what the electric cost is for.What about lawn care and snow removal?

Allen, author, "Nothing Down"For you, right now, the best I can recommend to you is to address these limitations you hold dear and justify with long stories of misery and woe.Your Dad made a mistake, and chose to let it control the rest of his life - he chose a lifetime of failure in response to one mistake.

We get their signed authorization to check their credit and we pay the Apartment Owners Association $10 to check their credit and evictions nationwide.

Now they are claiming I need to pay this invoice even though I never authorized it as the home owner. 

There is also an unused room that I think could be converted into a bedroom, which would jump the FMR (Fair Market Rate determined by the housing authority) by a considerable amount, so we would actually be looking at somewhat of a quick BRRRR project.