The agent ended up in prison but that didn't help the insured who was now on the hook for a couple hundred thousand dollars in damages;2) fire was caused by an electrical short and not covered once the carrier found out there was aluminum wiring. 

Contractors, in my experience, are notorious for not answering their phone or returning calls. 

Small dogs are notorious for not being totally house broken.

However, when you buy the property, your equity (the DP is the initial equity you pay for) is worth 5 times its face value because you're only paying 20% of the value of the property.This means it is in your best interest, to sell the property to release the equity from prison, and reset its value back to 5 times its face value...in the next property (or properties). 

I don't know about ghetto properties but a few weeks ago I had the weirdest dream.In my dream I am the landlord of a class E multi-family property, the worst, the most drama, every tenant is on long term leases, every tenant is guaranteed to have a criminal record, and they don't pay rent and you can't charge them late fees...I was the warden in a prison.

Zillow is notoriously inaccurate on foreclosure information, and county records often lag as well.

A friend bought a turnkey property sight-unseen from a now-notorious turnkey provider in Indianapolis.

Finally,  I have a borrower that was just sentenced to two years in prison for short sale fraud that thought he wasn't doing anything wrong, and his realtor on the transaction is awaiting sentencing this month.

Among the other things I do - call building dept to see if there are issues, drive around neighborhood to see if there are any killers - prison, dumpsites, other things that make it unattractive.

YIELD CURVE SPREAD - difference between 2yr and 10yr Treasury yields.The yield curve is also a notorious indicator of future recessions.