How do I find properties being sold through an estate

[Paul Tanso]

I just went to look at a property I was hoping to buy, fix, and flip, but it's priced too high. Through my research I found that the current owner is one of the "We buy ugly houses" guys. He picked it up from an estate for $125k. He's selling for $200k, and there are multiple offers, which is bidding it up beyond anywhere I can make money. ARV is probably around $330k, but it needs $60k - $100k worth of work.

Does anyone know how to find properties directly from the estate before they're listed. I believe one method is to watch for the recent sales for $1, and another may be to watch obituaries. Is there a better way?