My first market ended up being a bust and decided to pick a different market for out of state investing. 

If you have a statement from a few months ago that shows interest rates and payments you could back into an estimate of what they owe - or just contact the mortgage company.Before doing that though, the first step is to really drill down on a number makes sense for you to buy the house.

@Tyler Cornfieldshort answer - i don't know if you are or not. ask some lenders.but i'll say this about out of state investing at this time. 

I used shoot to sell to take photos on my first rental property.

@Raghavendra Jakkani first, agree with everyone else about every occcupant 18+ being screened & signing the lease, with one exception - an occupant that is claimed on another occupant's tax return as a dependent.

Looking forward to staying consistent & closing my first deal in the next 3-6 months.

Assuming it's written in your management agreement somewhere that states the owners are current on all financial responsibilities related to the property, does anyone require them to actually provide a current mortgage statement, HOA payment record, taxes paid, etc..... at least at the time of the original management agreement signing.Recently had a new owner sign the agreement, only to find out after we had secured a new tenant for them, that they were in financial distress to say the least (inquiring about bankruptcy) .

Firstly, I always ask them if they are direct to seller.

My first did well based on selecting an area that we frequent.

Thanks for your time.