I'm diving into some of the public county-level Zillow data.

This will help direct your search to the right areas, property types and price point.If you're purchasing all-cash, skip that step.Depending on your goal and preferred timeline for closing, the majority of your time should be spent searching for and analyzing deals.Searching: Look at public listing sites; connect with an investor friendly agent and choose 1 to work with who can search MLS and off-market inventory; for additional off-market options, consider growing your own database of wholesalers and homeowners Analyzing: Your agent can send comps and you can also search public listing sites for sold homes.

Perform the same task in each app to ensure a fair comparison.Load a property with pictures and details.Market that property.See what your marketing looks like from the public's perspective.Submit a fake application to see how easy the process is.Run a credit/screening report on yourself.Enter a maintenance request, assign a vendor, and attach a fake invoice.Enter charges to the tenant's ledger.Enter recurring charges and automatic late fees.Sign documents electronically.Run owner reports.After testing a few apps, one should clearly stand out.

As an investor myself, I need to be creative in sourcing deals so I connect with realtors and contractors who may have access to deals that aren't publicly listed.

But when I check public records... not so much!

They’ll often have leads on deals before they go public. https://www.biggerpockets.com/business/finder/agentsWith your experience in renovations, you may be able to find value even in these challenging properties.

Public records have information on every sale in your area.

I don’t have the exact answer for you, but since this is a public form and people offer their opinion, I’ll offer you mine.

Also there are probably paid options that pull public records like landglide, propradar etc, or try your local title company rep. 

Purchase price: $70,000 Cash invested: $20,000 Sale price: $135,000 2 Bedroom 1 Bath 900 sqft fix and flip home located near public elementary school in an area that is getting fixed up.