Have some experience doing outbound text messaging to property owners at lower price points (50-150K houses) but looking to go upmarket to where there is less competition. 

Yes I know for sure the previous owner filled the basement and lied it ever existed. 

@Jesus Pinto  You have to search for those owners. 

I want to reach out to small multi-family property owners to see if they would sell their property.

You're right to be cautious, partnering personally with your own IRA to co-own a rental property is considered a prohibited transaction by the IRS, and doing so could disqualify your IRA entirely.Here’s why:Self-dealing rules under IRC §4975 prohibit you (as the IRA owner) and “disqualified persons” (your spouse, lineal family members, businesses you control) from transacting with the IRA in any way.That means you cannot co-invest with your IRA, manage a property owned by your IRA, or provide services (like repairs or labor), even if it's partial ownership.Even if your IRA owns just 50%, your involvement outside the IRA creates a conflict of interest, which triggers disqualification and taxes on the full IRA balance.If you're interested in using your retirement funds, the correct route is to:Use a self-directed IRA (SDIRA) or Solo 401(k) to buy a property entirely within the retirement account.All expenses and income must flow through the IRA.You must remain hands-off, no managing tenants, repairs, or even signing checks.Some investors structure partnerships between unrelated parties' IRAs (e.g., two separate SDIRAs or an IRA and an unrelated third party), but you personally cannot co-invest with your own IRA.

This involves:Filing a written appeal form (available from your county assessor's office)Providing evidence supporting your claim that the assessment is incorrectCommon evidence includes recent comparable sales, property condition issues, or errors in property characteristicsCounty Board of EqualizationIf unsatisfied with the assessor's decision, you can appeal to the County Board of Equalization within 30 days.

Quote from @Michael Murphy: Does anyone have tips on how to track down next of kin if the owner of a property dies? 

@Peter Schiff, Yes, Selling a property owned by an LLC in a 1031 exchange concludes with no recognition of gain. 

That said, unless there is a state law prohibiting it, you simply buy the property from the owner and the tax lien gets paid off at the time of the sale.  

I was using Zimplemoney to track 3-4 owner finance loans (not handle payments or escrow), the last 8 years, and last week they went up from $36/year to $23-47 per month.