They tell about the report at the end of their "free" estimate visit. As

You'll need to visit a few of these areas, maybe on a vacation swing, and make contacts with seasoned investors/wholesalers on the ground there.

That's a great idea to visit a Sheriff's sale as a practice run to learn.

I want a quick and easy way to visit a property, take pictures and add notes of items to be fixed.

Here are a few ideas on how to hunt down the property owners:Search public records (you'll have to subscribe to a service)Form a relationship with an agent (they have access to this info and can you get the owners)Form a relationship with a title agent and they can get you this info for freeTry http://www.propertyshark.com/You can also visit a local assessor's office to obtain the information in-person:The Assessor's office does not provide owner name information on their website.

We thought we had found a good management company, but on going to visit a couple of weeks ago found numerous problems in the house, all to do with total neglect.

Should you be unfamiliar, would like to crunch numbers, visit a few properties, etc., to begin to get "your hands dirty," I'd be happy to show you the ropes, answer any questions you might have, and may even be able to introduce you to your first investment.I hope this finds you well!

If they do that I will be happy as we plan to visit a few times a year, and maybe someday be snowbirds when our children are older.  

i have never had a problem getting a contractor to visit a property.

I am invested in Idaho, but I am taking a trip to Portland for to visit a friend in a few weeks.