I'm a little late to the game, but wanted to make sure you knew about the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer site (formerly, and still colloquially, referred to just as the Auditor's site)... https://myplace.cuyahogacounty.us/It's an extremely robust interface, and you can search by property address, parcel number, or owner name (or just use the map feature to click on any parcel), and see tons of info on the property.

The problem for the owner arises when, occasionally, the bank will get audited and they need to assure the auditors that their mortgagees are actually living in the house.

You should definitely talk to your auditor about any and all utility rebates available.

I currently rent, but plan on purchasing a duplex or triplex next year.A little about me - I was an auditor for a CPA firm for almost three years, which consisted of working many late nights and weekends, until I suffered through an unexpected health issue and realized I didn't want to work my life away.

Amidst all the chaos, an auditor is not going to recommend foreclosure on a note that is getting paid.  

He doesn't want a 'potential' audit or 'potential questions from IRS regarding this one propertyThis property out of state is $6k total rental income, $15k in travel/meals and a net loss of about $25k apx.We had to do a lot of major repairs and had it empty most of the year. 

What I did find, is the auditors don't understand it.

When you walk into a rural county office and the county auditor, treasurer, etc. know you and remember you on a first name basis, it's priceless. 

The bank has all the utilities in it's name and the auditor will have the bank as the owner of the home, which means the bank owns everything in the house.

Finally, I got a hold of the auditor's office and this data is being stored in a 3480 cartridge (they're still in the 80s) and the only way I can get it is if a third party converts it or if I go into the office myself and copy everything down.