But every day I pick up the paper just to see recent foreclosure listed and they take up about a full page daily so I would says it's 50/50 right now in Polk County, FL.

I have one Sec. 8 (disabled) and the County is paying $1,300 for a modest one bedroom apt.

This one is in the County, no slums here ;)

MelissaData wanted to charge me a gang of money for the same functionality.Anyway, I just spoke with Corelogic about ordering custom list searches....specifically absentee owners with equity over 60 percent.The 149 a month is actually 225 in my county and they want me to subscribe for a year.

If the property has been boarded and abandoned for 3+ years, the bank that was holding the foreclosure has been busted and jailed, is it possible for the county to claim in condemned/abandoned and take possession?

I started out sending 35 letters to probates in my county but after 2 weeks or so only had a few incoming calls, so I started calling them.

There were many houses up for auction and we were the only ones there (we are in a rural county).

Due the high property taxes in Cook County, my carrying cost is around $2175.

Also, how competitive are the LA county Tax deed auctions?

Doing the option correctly, means that you would need to record an memorandum of option with the county recorder, to demonstrate that you have equity in the property.This is a win win, the family gets the money they need ASAP, and you have the opportunity to sell and maximize your return on investment, while never "owning" to the property.Like JD Rockefeller said: "Own Nothing, Control Everything!"