In the meantime I would like to try to use all of the free marketing tools that I can. 

I have my license 1.5 yrs now.The license is a tool, it is not a magic pill that will make you an investor.  

It was in the middle of a rehab and I had a lot of tools, compressors etc in the home.

Consider also that BP is a good tool for introverts.

I wouldn't have thought that someone would try to sell a house there, but it seems so obvious to use it as another marketing tool.

They did say it was common to have the search return hits from multiple people for folks with very common names but did not have any advice on how to validate if the person you are screening was the individual involved.Is there another tool to search criminal history that uses more specific inputs like driver license number, social security number etc.?

I would suggest your wife's parents put the property in a trust, similar to what my parents did,, the land ownership is transferred into the name of the trust,, the parents have the right to manage how the trust is divided upon their deaths, your wife's share ( if other siblings are involved) would be stated as a percentage.. all operating costs are paid by the trust,, all income is paid into the trust the trust is a tool for them to use to as a financial plan for the future.

@Brian DibeneYou'll find most links on these pagesYou can find REI tools and resources here https://www.biggerpockets.com/rei/For Frequently Asked Questions https://www.biggerpockets.com/faqUsing Biggerpockets To Grow Your Business https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/using-biggerpockets-business-2/

Since you are FSBO, you should counter the selling agent words - he/she just trying to make a deal.Do not increase your property value at the county auditor  - it will raise your taxes.Zillow is not a valid source of info: it's a marketing tool.

If you go to tools -files there are plenty of template check lists you can use to walk a property. basically it starts with exterior-roof etc and continues room by room