just an update on this....someone better than the two came along and ended up choosing them over both of these applicants.

I will keep you guys updated!

It might be things you can't see (like needing to update the plumbing or electrical), or rooms they didn't show you in the pictures.Not having access to the property, while sometimes is the case with auction properties, is not something I'd recommend pursuing. 

The previous owners had a PM company managing the house, but nothing was ever updated and any repairs were just a band-aid.  

We are aiming to refi after the year to get some equity to cover some of these costs.

Keep us updated on your progress!

I have to ask are you sure that is not a sales tactic to get people to update old AC units?

It does not look like it has been updated in a while but there is some contact information on there that may still be of use.http://www.sdreia.com/home.htmlHope this helps. :-)

That link doesn't work anymore, is there a new one or should I call the County for an update?

The parcels we were looking at were selling way over market price.I think the strategy is to pear down the list to the parcels you care about and then keep your list updated with those stricken off from the auction so that by the last day, you have a pretty good idea of what you can and want to bid on vs what you can't and don't.I'm interested the land opportunities but most of the land available is either not build-able or land-locked from what I've checked so far.