check public records - lis pendens

The reason I am thinking of doing this is because I want to learn so much more about market values and getting first hand experince in dealing with closings, listings, and public relations.I could use the knowldge that I gain form being a realtor as a stepping stone for my realty investment business.

I was instructed that this information is part of the public domain so I would be happy to provide it for anyone interested.

Yes you can get these names by searching public records.

What stats do u look at to see the health of a market and where do u go for your 1 stop shop of these stats?

It gets public when a notice gets filed, so that's when a lot of investors start their marketing efforts.

If it is something pretty straight forward, as described in IRS Publications, as an established industry practice, etc... then that's how you should do it.

This is an interesting topic.The Urban Land Institute published Technical Bulletin 50 in 1964 following a years-long collaboration with the FHA and the Public Health Service (not sure why them).  

New rental developments commonly have things like:[list]Nearby shopping or multi-use buildings w/retail on ground floor and lofts above.Nearby parking and extra storage available.Wireless Internet.Upgraded [fill in the blank]Ready access to public transportation or vouchers/subsidiesLaundry in-unit[/list:u]I have no idea what the market is like in your area and it does seem tough right now all around, but it might be worth looking at what you have (or have not) done with your rentals and see if you are still offering something competitive.With the explosive growth in RE investments, many by newbies who spent far too much money upgrading rentals, there are both more rentals on the market and they're in better average condition than before.

It means the property has gone to public auction, but we have not yet received the sales data back from the auction to know whether it went back to the bank or whether it was sold to a third party at the auction.