I bet this person paid less than a grand for the rights. and will want 10k from you...

In Land Investing Online there is a free support group as well as an affordable monthly subscription (I think $100) where you can share your deals for input from the other members. 

You can often look online for the county/city zoning map, parcel info, and zoning laws.  

Most are online, at civicsource.com  and happen once a month.

As a rental, tenants will likely prioritize the location over minor inconveniences.Your strategy of betting on appreciation and eventually pulling equity makes a lot of sense in this market.

Check county recordsUse online search tools like PropStream, Reonomy, PropertyShark, etc.Use local GIS mapping tools (ask your county)Search online directories for LLC or TrustTalk to neighborsHire a skip tracerSend a letter to the propertyThere are a lot of options.

We looker at few houses/Condo under $200k-$250k and saw few online in that range.

TrueDoor appears to have a great reputation online, I'll be giving them a call.

@Shawn Tuma & @Chris KayVery difficult in today's market to cashflow putting 0% down:(5-10 years ago it was possible, but prices have increased faster than rents.Your best bet is to find a property that needs work, but will still pass a VA appraisal/inspection. 

I also don't post strategies online to drum up business so others can latch on and see what services I am subtly selling.