I also purchase distressed properties as live-in flips.

I'd imagine the goal for you would be to buy something slightly distressed that needs alot of the cosmetic fixes.

It was brought to my attention that a there is a property that has been unoccupied for a number of years. My question is how do I go about finding out who the owner is? After finding out who the owner is how should I ...

And to my surprise I found a hand full of distressed properties.

That you're looking for off market or distressed homes?

Hello Sean, I am in the central NJ area as well; I am looking at buying distressed properties in Plainfield NJ area, fixing it up and selling it; There seems to be quite a lot of competition in the area !

My initial interest is urban planning, but I also like changing the face of distressed communities as well. 

Most reputable turn key companies buy distressed properties further upstream (i.e. auctions, tax sales, etc) at much better prices than the average individual.

We have made a few offers but are having a really hard time finding distressed properties in the area. 

It's seems as if prices have or are close to peak here but there's always opportunities with distressed properties.