But as your apparently clueless on Real Estate 102, I will just inform you.

I know this post is old, but just in case someone sees this and wants information, I will report back on how it goes.

By focusing your efforts on a specific area, you’ll be able to learn all the nuances and make more informed decisions.Best of luck with your investment journey!

I plugged them into Invelo to find the owner information and have begun sending hand-written letters.

@Paola AstridRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

It's in municipalities best interest to have this information readily available to the public so their rules are abided by. 

Most of the information is out there for free. 

Hey Jerryll,Apologies as well, to clarify my post, the property is currently still with the owner (off-market) and I reference the information on the MLS since it is the information that's currently available to the public, so just providing a frame of reference to support the info in my post.

As to the buddy I mentioned in Washington state it was the same scenario; he converted tax-free up to their standard deduction but above that he kept within the lowest tax bracket and paid the smallest amount of tax possible.Thank you @Basit Siddiqi for calling me out on this and giving me a chance to address my mistake; it's important people have the correct information.  

I thought I could just have a title company do some research and provide me with information about her property (Liens, unpaid debts etc.).