Making educated judgements about this investment is essential.One of the major up-front expenses is the down payment.

I think one is better served by looking at the current economic climate in the world , region and city and then making your judgements.  

The smaller issue was that it was a default judgement.

Got a judgement for close to $25k, have yet to collect ANYTHING, even after hiring an investigator and a law firm that "specializes" in collections. 

Anyways, if you want to chat without needing to worry about judgement and arrogance, feel free to reach out! 

All assets could be subject to any judgement.

Even if I was awarded a judgement, collecting, particularly when they will very much be unlikely to provide their new address, is a whole other matter entirely.As a follow-up question: Will I be liable for what I am all but certain are unpaid utilities?

After this step you will need to ensure that it was bought and the end buyer now has 100% equity if these two things are true you can use best judgement and assume that this house was bought for cash. 

The county for the city you are investing in should allow for you to perform an "official record search" by name or parcel number then you can look for any outstanding docs such as judgement, mortgage, liens etc attached to the property owners name.

I've found delinquents carry a lot of baggage (judgements and federal tax liens) that can prevent the deal from happening.