I would say that a Commercial Real Estate Broker is better for commercial deals and the Property manager is better for residential, if all the rest is equal.   

You probably can't get a list directly, but these courts typically have computer systems, often online, that you can access to extract the data you seek.Depending on the info required of the evicting landlord, you can easily get their name and address, the address of the property that's involved in the eviction, and possibly even the landlord's phone number.

There was some zoning / publication about re-developing Ocean ave areas to make it more commercial, shops etc?

I agree that you'll typically find $1-$1.5k per tree, depending on size and accessibility. 

Her only obligation is to repay that loan according to the terms, and that money can now be used for whatever.This would allow you to access that capital for your deal. 

Why is this a good stretegy other than having access to the $?

So higher interest for sure but money still available, if you are not over leveraged and have access to capital you can keep the wolf from the door; anyway that's how I see it. 

If you're getting recourse debt from a local commercial lender they often will allow you to roll rehab into the loan up to a certain % of appraised value.  75% LTC is fairly common for that size asset, assuming debt coverage is adequate.   

If that is accessible, it adds value (egress).

@Ken Lagana have you ever considered commercial property or alternative use land to diversify the market effects on your portfolio of holdings?