I know of a residential apartment construction project that was abandoned and never finished.

@Rocky Pe Benito  good luck in your hunt OOS can work.. again just caution you on thinking that tenant quality works in reverse exponentially.. when you get out of PDX your in a whole nother world.PDX because of how this city and state has grown simply does not have the wide valuations of real estate. you can't drive down any street here and see 5 board ups or abandoned homes.. this is what you will find when you look at 25k doors across the country.. not to mention war zones which again is what your going to encounter at those price points.. we simply do not have that here in PDX and if your from here and have not travelled much its quite a shocker..

A valid drivers license is required as proof of residency.2) You need some major repairs done that you don't want to get ripped off over, because you're not local and/or don't know a phillips from a flathead.3) You have no clue how to spot application fraud4) Professional tenant you failed to properly screen stops paying rent, referencing local laws you have no clue about.5) Tenants abandon your property and you don't find out until city contacts you that they shut off the water at the street because neighbor called about water leaking out of your house and running down the driveway (true story). 

I was into REI & stocks, but abandoned the equities after the infamous Black Monday (1987), so I concentrated on just accumulating Real Estate.

When services end, they will leave.When the property is vacant, even for a moment, that is the time to change the locks.A property owner has the right to secure an abandoned property.

There are specific processes dealing with abandoned property in California.

@Joseph Abbott, other good options include:Partnering with a local investor to take you through the ropesTalking to the neighbors of the abandoned properties to see what they can share with youWorking with a Title Company (if you have one you work with) to research the property, ownership, and liensGood luck, let us know how it goes, and reach out if you need help!

What do you mean by 'the town isn't too good': high crime, lots of abandoned homes, declining population?  

There are many closed roadside hotels/motels. What are some good ideas for these properties? Of course, small studio apartments are an option, but what are some other ideas

hello training Renfro my name is Michael and I too am new to the real estate investing, but I have a question that you may be able to help me with being that you are able to locate people. my question is if there's a certain property say in Clayton County that is abandoned how would I go about finding out who owns the property to get in contact with them to find out if the property is for sale or not?