Depending on your city/area you may have such data available from the local police department or the sheriff's department.

This area is not one that you can get away with slacking in that department

You can check with the police department about calls to the building or the area.  

Go to your local Planning Department and ask what the zoning on the lot is.

I was reading BP for weeks and educating myself.I am looking now for one foreclosing property here in OH and probably will try to buy it for rental purpose after rehab. it has an attractive $20k starting bid in $80-90k neighborhood.As was recommended by many BP PROs I am working with a title company on title search already, but as I am education as well I am checking all available online documents about this case as well.I found the Magistrate Decision doc where they mentioned that this First mortgage is foreclosing , BUT the City and State of Ohio department of Taxation figuring as a Defendant too and in decision is stated that City claimed "some rights, title, interest or lien upon to the premises, but that any right, title, interest , claim said Defendant MAY have is inferior and subsequent to the lien of Plaintiff "As I understand that foreclose process will extinguish all those "inferior liens".Am I right in my understanding?

If you are in a large city, go to the department of city development or city planning and find the hot neighborhoods if you are looking for faster appreciation and higher rents. 

Check with the building and zoning department for open permits and permit history to see if any improvements you find to the property were properly done.

I'd say do your due diligence on the value of the property, the costs of doing the rehab, and the time frames to get through the planning and building departments.  

The Vancouver Fire Department arrived with sirens blaring to put out the flames before they caught onto the building.

With my municipality's water department giving a huge rebate, I decided that it is time to stop leasing.