@Jamarr Lee Yes there's still money to be made in war zone houses but only for the wholesalers that dump them on unsuspecting investors that don't know any better.

Just be careful that your numbers are correct and that you can handle the holding costs and any unsuspected rehab costs, that magically appear after demo. 

Locals probably don't want it because they know better, so the seller's dream is to get lucky by snagging an unsuspecting California investor (which, by the way, is a somewhat unrelenting joke in the industry--CA investor thinks they hit pay-dirt while the locals point and laugh).This opinion is in no way intended to be a comment on that specific local area, but I think that those who have "been there and done that" with D&F properties would likely admit that they are glad to have moved on to better quality properties in better quality areas, especially if they are long distance investors.

Overall property was in great condition - a few unsuspecting issues obviously though.  

They could "seller finance" the sale to an unsuspecting buyer who was not smart enough to run a title report and see they're in foreclosure.

LOL @Anthony Angotti,I was thinking the same thing. around me they take everything not tied down, setup an ad on craigslist and rent it under a false name to some unsuspecting single mother.

While we are on the topic of liars and cheats how about we explore why HML hide fees on the back end and charge up front fees to unsuspecting newbies.  

Post nearest cross streets so people know the general area, but scammers can't steal your listing, post it for less, and take advantage of unsuspecting renters.DO watermark your images with your phone number.

As long as you do due diligence I think it's reasonably safe, not as safe as a house, but the problem is the sellers are dumping problem properties and trying to pump up their numbers in the process of dumping them on unsuspecting investors.

I also had no idea at the time that management companies would do more than management and so to have a funnel ushering unsuspecting landlords into a bind to force a sale out of them to then list it on the market (but I'm glad to have found this out before getting interested in Real Estate myself that's for sure, I can't say my landlord didn't deserve it – as he too is a crook lol falsely claiming the rental was his "primary residence" this entire time and thereby never registering it with the HOA here).