There is only a few reasons to buy single family houses as a rental, one reason is when you are "house hacking", if there is high demand for it as this time, if I was doing a "Lease Option, and it has a good location, several amenities there and close-by good schools nearby, good retail nearby, public transportation with a nearby bus stop, etc.. 

Because some of these buildings are 11 - 15 units I thought about having a secured box on location but I worry about theft???

sounds like a pain in the *** for an investment vehicle. also raises the question to me of " Where the heck is this property located that its eligible?"

As I'm running my direct mail campaign, I'm realizing that some properties are not located on my local tax assessor's website.  

You have an investor that is not just out of a city,county, or state from where the property is located but the whole country!

We do have a great location.

Michael.Reach out to an insurance company where your property is located and ask them to give you a quote!

. $25,000 means the most expensive property you can buy is $100,000Without knowing your situation or location, consider house hacking.

I dont believe there is a way to locate vacant properties in the Orange County courthouse database.

If you are able to find a property manager who simply looking for their monthly rent, and you have done your homework for potential income for AirBnBs in that location (as well as being familiar with the ordinances in your area), you can negotiate a clause to be able to list on STR platforms.