You can try propertyradar, it is a great tool to find and evaluate foreclosure deals. 

Go meet the neighbors and let them know your plans, give them a card, and welcome their call if they ever see something they don't like.If there's a lot of preconstruction clean up, then I go to Home Depot and get enough laborers, tools, and materials to knock it out in a day.  

Direct mail is such a great tool that is not really leveraged by many people.  

Unfortunately, most of the really good tools for project management are either prohibitively expensive or years behind the times in terms of being cloud accessible (often both).  

They will know the local code, the political players and hot buttons, and what you should push hard for vs. lay off of in negotiations.

People are polite and won't tell you these things unless you pull it out of them or let them know it's okay to say how they really feel.Once you get this data you then reduce your house list price and remarket with a new price.

And I'm glad to have the tools in the tool box now.

Know too, it's political, depending on whose toes you're stepping on, it may take a lot of money, studies over time, insurance assessments, engineering reports and time proven alternatives to get changes made in the municipal arena.Yes, I rain on everyone's parade, but wish you luck.

Thank you letters/notes are different, that is being polite.

Plenty of good tools on her and people in the local area.