That person will be hungry and willing to burn the time and gas showing you houses.

I know there's enough space to convert, but I'm interested in understanding the path better.I know I have to (not in order of importance):1) add an additional entrance for 2nd unit2) convert a bedroom into a kitchen plus3) get additional electric/gas service4) submeter water?

I was wondering why my gas bill was so high for about a year. 

So, what other things do you all look for when doing online research to determine if a particular neighborhood is "good" or not before you waste gas/time to see it in person.

I just had to save a deal from an inspector who scared the buyer with a list of things I can fix in 45 minutes  (loose screw, no gas cap on dryer line , etc).  

There are probably gas and water liens to go along with the property liens.

The taxes on the property are $7754.00 and its a gas boiler which will consume approximately $400 to $580 per month in the winter with approximately $180 to $250 in the summer months.

So, in Phila, when the property taxes go unpaid there is a high likelihood of other liens, particularly for water/sewer and natural gas; since it's a board up, they might have code citations, and they might not have a vacant property license as required by Phila!  

The county condemned it because he change the gas to electric and never pull permits to do so. 

The over $250K market, where you might live, has softened, presumably because a lot of the oil and gas execs need to sell.