Is it possible to purchase REOs soon after the loan servicer has taken possession, but before it hits the general public?

I am looking into purchasing my first property in pittsburgh and rent it out as long term investment.I have following hopes/strategies:- Safe area (B/B+)- Reasonable cash flow- Good appreciation potentialI am thinking following locations (which can totally be non sense)- Attract high income workers (close to IT hubs?

If you say check county court records, it still does not stop the elaborate thief from using a public record.

We normally get it as a credit, unless it’s held by a 3rd party(pm).You can consult the lease agreement for each tenant, if the LL says someone only paid some or non, you need to get estoppel forms signed by both the LL and tenant, or just risk owning the tenant money they never really paid the LL.

If you want a non risky challenge try and find a deal to wholesale, it has been hard on me so far and new pockets of chaos keep popping up in my pursuit of a first deal that have taught me how difficult it can be to find a good deal or do real estate. 

Most of this non-legal advice in this thread is pretty good.

Although less strict that what is required of a public offering, raising capital for syndication or similar deals still requires the proper framework and legal documentation.

At that point buy a SFR & you'll just have to pony up the 25% down payment for the next non owner occupied rental.

I would check your house here: public records search.

@Bruce Mackay Then what you need is a LOI (letter of intent) or MOU (memorandum of understanding) that spells out the material terms which are not subject to re-negotiation later but which letter/memo is non-binding until a final agreement is signed.