But I would like to go into more areas as well.

Normally does not wipe out government liens like IRS, demolition, mowing, preservation, etc.Some place it also does not wipe out water/sewer/utility liens.IRS I believe has 120 days to act after the foreclosure, I can think the other ones sunset.

This could be huge, or something like the ADU legislation that came out in 2017 and then revamping in 2020 due to convoluted items that made the building very strict to almost nonexistent.The main reason ADUs are hard to get the best value for now is that the appraisals come in short (depending on the comps in the area of course).

Too much risk.I like the idea of doing a land contract instead of a traditional sale but have never done one.What benefits would the land contract give us over just doing a regular sale?

this is a toughie. hard money specifically is equity-driven, meaning they'll likely want 40%+ down to even entertain the deal. additionally, land without improvements is often very inexpensive (relative to land with improvements), usually pushing below a threshold which makes sense for a hard money lender. if you're not intending to build right away, then i think you'll have the best luck with private money instead of hard money. usually higher leverages than hard money, and more negotiable terms.if you are intending to build on it pretty right away, a ground-up construction loan could work, but those will typically require some ground-up construction experience (on title on other ground-up deals), or an extensive portfolio of heavy rehabs/ rentals/ strong liquidity. those will give you acquisition monies (to buy the land) and build monies (to build the improvements).

I would like to know what is the best way to invest right now for a newbie in 2024? 

I would still screen the tenants just like any other one. 

Did you find anything you like?

That's a rough area Tim......You're going to be dealing with an uphill battle getting quality folks to take on a property like that one.

He would like to stay at the house till he finds a job.