If you try going closer to the actual people who do the title searches (the people the title companies hire) you can get a title search done for much less.

last year 2008 , i found zillow to be way off...in my market it was way over priced...however over the last year as each month goes by it gets closer and closer to actual market values on properties...there is always exceptions and you have to know and learn your own market...i do use zillow but you can't just go off it exclusively...its just one of the tools in my toolbox that i uselike was previously mentioned looking on MLS each and every day in your market is your best tool...i search my market for properties new to mkt, under agreement, back on mkt , solds , reactivated etc each and every day...

But we're definitely closer to the end than the beginning!

Found a property I like, it's a tri-plex and the basement is covered with mold from the outside ground level to the floor of the unit, also there is a huge tree in the back yard and the roots are all over the back yard ,no grass I suppose because of the roots and all the gutters are filled with stuff from the tree(s) 3 bedrooms upstairs and 2 in the basement nice size bedrooms too, question is Is this an up-hill battle ending in defeat or can this property be saved????

I will do kitchens and bathrooms, floor refinish, drywall work myself.I'm estimating $6,000/unit for furnace/AC install (still need to get estimates as I get closer)$2500-4000 for new electrical panels wired$4,000-8,000 for the water meters to be split/installedOther than those major items, I've figured around $16,000/ unit to get them up and running.I feel like I've gone through and covered all the bases, but I don't want to end up surprised and that I estimated way short.

Although I live closer to the city, I work for a new construction builder in Murfreesboro(Beazer Homes) so I know the market pretty well.

Yes my bad for not paying closer attention but when I told her I needed a refund she tried to say she did put them in her name.

Cap rate gets me interested in the deal, so I can take a closer look.

Try to get things like vacants, fire houses, high weeds & grass, order to board, tax lein, etc.

You can target closer to a city when wanting something allready built vs a new one.