I am trying to put together a raw land deal.

Raw land for example?

Recently, I sent some yellow letters to out of state owners of raw land.

There are lenders that specialize in raw land (@Greg Anderson), you might only get 50% of the value out of it but maybe that is better than nothing? 

had a question about code violations I went to my country clerk ask for them and she said they don't have raw data of that or a list for me to look through,  and if I requested an OPERA it would get denied because it was too broad of a search.

The general public and local politicians have little regard for protecting this once prestine natural ressource: the storm sewer overflow issue is without a solution in sight (passing a law to allow the municipal waste water plant to dump raw residential and light industrial sewage into the lake 6 times a year would be political suicide in Europe, just saying) and the DNR recommends to limit fish consumption to once per month, just to keep your mercury intake down a bit..

There are lots of options for what your buyer could do with the land (if it's just raw land) but really all you would need to do to get started is get it on the market. 

What do you more experienced folks think the best strategy is for a raw beginner to get their feet wet?

I've accepted mold, raw sewage in the crawlspace, structural issues, etc. and the numbers just have to be close where you need them to be to close. 

Any tips on how to price raw land zoned as low-density single-family?