Finding deals through door knocking (?)

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I am a newbie who's hoping to do my first flip in the Los Angeles area later this year. In the area I want to concentrate on, I have found several dilapidated homes that would be prime for a flip. Some of these residents are older individuals/seniors. Some look like they may have simply fallen into financial hardship. And some homes I cannot even tell if someone lives there or not.

I am thinking of approaching these people by knocking on their door (or leaving a note) expressing my interest in giving them cash for their homes.

I wonder if anyone has tried this and how good, or bad of a response it had. I can imagine some people may look at me like I'm nuts. But at the same time, some might not realize they want to sell their homes and earn some cash until presented with the opportunity.

Also... how do I go about finding out the info on the current owners of these properties?

Thanks in advance for your advice and expertise!