You can create custom maps to mark areas of interest, track properties you're considering, and note key amenities like schools, shopping centers, and public transport.

Do they do a public records search  for evictions, judgments, liens etc?

An example problem statement that I may have stated (and built the software for) in 2003, when I started investing full time: Build a tool for lead generation that collects county records from the county recorder's office (and property card data), finds the recent first mortgage defaults  from trustees websites or public filings for properties that are between 1000 and 1700 square feet, in a neighborhood of 90% like-kind properties with greater than 20 parcels, houses built after 1978, that can cash flow at current rates when fully leveraged. 

Is there power to the lot, is there public water or will you need to drill a well, if there is public water/sewer do you need to pay the tap fees, etc.

Commercial brokers will know more becasue they have to... they get the contract and hand it off and the deals i have done there i get inspection addendum's written by the attorneys and boy that is very dysfunctional.. no explanations as they are getting flat fee's and spend zero time doing what needs to be done to keep transactions together the little things the public does not see. but anyway thought provoking.... 100.00 and hour is a pittance to a seasoned agent.. don't see that flying.. but to a mid level or starter who comes from a back ground of getting paid by the hour..

Do you see the BS propaganda at play in this narrative being spoon feed to the public?

You must still own all of the sold tax liens up until the date you bring your foreclosure lawsuit.Anyone with redemption rights can ask for a public auction.

I wouldn't buy anything that's more than 15 minutes from the Chimney Rock strip or otherwise the public beach.

I like these amongst ,many other right nowREXR - (Rexford) they are a niche (sub-specialist) in industrial warehouse/distribution/manufacturing in the southern California only urban or Infil area, they are not international like PLD - prologis, their MOAT is that SO-Cal has geographic limitation to new inventory, so they have rent pricing power that industrial in rest of country doesn't, also 26 million people in so-Cal and the 2 busiest Ports in country, their earning/revenue projections next few years are best in class, and they are cheaper on price to book than PLD or others, I own some and will buy a lot more in upcoming Recession, likely in next 6-12 months, when publicly traded equities will likely slide by 20-30% although their assets (physical buildings) are only going up in valueVICI- (casino REIT), used to be part of Cesars palace, then Caesars spun them out in 2018, to do sale leasebacks of their properties to take all that physical capex off the books.

There will probably be a paper trail that is public record that someone can follow.