You can list your property at the local Housing Authority and I think some have an online database of rentals, but we've never used that. 

Again, talk to the locals—cops, hotel personnel, and restaurant employees—to obtain the inside scoop about the neighborhood.Real estate investing necessitates rigorous attention to detail, which is why property tours are essential for acquiring critical information.

Has anyone found a local bank in the Chicagoland area that offers a loan like this?

The stream bed in question is small/ephermeral, and the properties haven't flood in 12 years, even when the local area has seen some massive flooding in the last decade.  

So, try some local real estate meetup groups.

California, to my pleasant surprise passed a new law that went into effect January 1 that allows property owners to file a Letter of Agency with local law enforcement which notifies them that the property is vacant.

I would recommend staying in Findlay, Ohio for a while as your cost of entry is going to be much lower and you are local to the area.

As soon as our lesson was over, this dude would loudly shout to his daughter, tell her to go to the local betting parlor, give her a  wad of money and a list of bets to place for him.

This sounds like a deal for a local commercial bank.

You can try this site to find a local mortgage broker:https://mortgagematchup.com/