The loan balance was less than $8,000 and the house was worth $130,000The house and the yard looked like no one had lived there in a long long time.I could have sent a postcard to the owner with a DO NOT FORWARD ADDRESS CORRECTION notice on the card so it would hopefully come back to me with the forwarding address for the owner.But with foreclosures, you have to get to the owner FAST and there is a lot of competition so I did not want to wait for the postcard to come back.Instead I talked to the neighbors.

We recently did not renew a tenant in a very nice newer (2006) house in an excellent neighborhood in Las Vegas, as she kept leaving the trash can in front of the garage, violating HOA rules, and id not pull a few weeks (the yard is mostly 3" rocks), drawing a fine from the HOA.

I see if yards are maintained.

Do you have a yard sign?

Its tough for me to give much advice as around here anything reasonably priced for rent it is easily filled within 2 weeks.But as others suggested price compare and if possible visit your competition... do the others have a better yard or appliances etc...

I think going to local lumber yards/building supply and asking some of the sales people who to use.

Should I get a building inspector to give me his opinion on what needs to be done to salvage it and use that to help my case?

., sign in the yard, FaceBook page & ads, and the BP marketplace.

Vacant properties - I classify these separately from  "abandoned", so I'm looking for For Rent signs, no window coverings, signs someone has recently moved out, etc.Abandoned properties - over grown yards, old fliers on the front door, anything that makes it look like people haven't been aroundDeferred maintenance - trees hanging on the roof, broken windows, lots of peeling paint, fence falling down, et.cFor anything except the For Sale by Owner and any property with a For Rent sign - both of which should have a phone number on the sign - I just use the county tax site to get owner contact information and send them a letter.Here's a link to 2 excellent Blog posts from Chris Feltus on Driving for Dollars...http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/05/03/driving-for-dollars-bible-part-1/http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/05/10/driving-for-dollars-tracking-owners/

I look for cracked bricks/mortar on exterior, missing condenser, roof condition, yard, etc.