People love hardwoods and if they are clean and smooth they are very forgiving about any "character flaws" such as old water stains or cigarette burns.

If you don't want people smoking inside the house then let them know as well.

The unit was completely redone a month ago and I have reason to believe the tenant is smoking cigarettes inside and now not paying.

Insurance is a necessity but I tend to go for the higher deductibles.Don't fall for smoke and mirrors from insurance agents.

And those that had 500k to 2 million worth of standing timber they got  Salmon  ( Fresh and Smoked that my partner caught on his ranch on the Oregon coast) Elk steaks and jerky from the Elk he kills every year.. those little treats  make us literally millions of dollars in log revenue and net profits over the years..  

They still owe me rent and the brand new smoke detectors I installed.

Private Lending, you could find an individual with lots of money that is willing to lend it out to you if you find a smoking deal.

I'm going to mail them a SODA via certified mail.A smoke detector was unplugged and I was not notified, tenant was only one cooking.

If you aren't able to find things online, you could certainly contact the specific building/inspections departments of the cities in which you're buying, and they can likely share pertinent information.Keep in mind, some cities don't even require TISH inspecitons at the time of sale, and most properties will have plenty of minor code violations regardless (I've seen numerous TISH reports miss things as easy as smoke detector requirements).I don't have any good ideas on the high-equity absentee owner lists - someone working full-time on the buying side would be better suited for that question.Good luck!

You also need an egress window or door of sufficient size, a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector (if you have gas heat/appliances).