I am only speculating here, because I have not yet been to the recorder's office to perform the chain of title research yet, but the owner likely paid the property off in full five years ago and did not realize that they were responsible for tax payments on both parcels.Again, what would others do with this tax sale and what would the investment strategies look like on this one?

The girl at the register doesn't take your order then run to the back and make the burger, then go get your fries, come up pour your drink, then go to the drive through window and hand you your meal.

There is never one way to do real estate deals, and there are many ways to this food chain, but stay away from danger.

A point or fee taker in a daisy chain trying to introduce a lender or source to fund a loan.

I've seen a few porches demo'd and if you strap a good chain to one on a strong truck, you can usually pull the entire structure down without hurting the house (assuming you sliced the roof first). 

If too many cooks are in the kitchen instead of a beautifully cooked meal you have a mess to deal with. 

I am selling my Rental SFH and it needs new Carpet, Interior Paint, and a wooden (or chain-link) Fence .     

If you have a few spare days of your life to waste yes feel free to contact the bank and follow it up the chain to the foreclosure office who will most likely tell you that it is in their files but they won't have a price for it for months and that you should keep checking equator.com for the address (or whatever their website of choice is)Otherwise keep your eyes on it and wait, keep any realtor friends you have checking for it and maybe set some Google alerts.

Trace the assignment chain to the last owner with a pay history  4.

With consumers (especially in LA) preferring the mom and pops over the national chains, some of the most successful retail developments have substantial LL investment.