My initial thoughts before digging at all is that he wants $150k per door, first of all that's pretty high for Mesa secondly my clients would expect at least $1500/month per door for that price.

It's good you and your wife already have some real estate experience.Presuming you live in the Philly area you should join DIG.

The only way to solve that...dig away the soil and re-partch the exterior using today's technology. 

I can get plenty of exercise with my SFH’s like climbing ladder, pushing mower, digging up and replacing plants, etc.

Found an off-market deal in a market I'm beginning to dig into.

Plumbing repairs:  replacing faucets, garbage disposals, replacing bathtubs or toilets, other minor repairs but not digging up pipes type stuff ect...Painting inside including patching holes Carpentry: installing doors, cabinets, deck refinishing and repair (not replacement), building/installing/repairing metal or wood gates or fencing Flooring installation: tile, bamboo or wood Changing light fixtures, switches, outlets, ceiling fans ect..Basically anything that will not require a permit Thank you for your help! 

@Tom Henry it is tough because in my opinion you are taking your best options off the table, if you bought in the Bay area and move it'd be long distance with no family nearby and a low return just due to the area, so if those are the only two choices I'd go with LA, but I'd really dig into some cheaper markets to see if you're comfortable with that even if that is just central valley or inland empire, where you don't have to learn about other states and their issues.

Once you have this, you can really dig deep by brainstorming and laying out a strategy.I'd be happy to go into more detail, shooting you a PM!

But, she was busy at the time, and also said she wanted to think about it.I'm also pretty sure I am the only person who has made contact with her in regards to taking this property off her hands ever since she inherited it, (trust me, it took ALOT of work/digging & LUCK to reach her...) so I'm not too worried about someone making an offer any time soon, but I don't want to miss the opportunity due to legal reasons, such as her not paying taxes (she owes 2018 & 2019 taxes).

What they do is dig up a tranch and fill it with #2 gravel.