There many things you need to know ideally before you make an offer.Your first thing and not necessarily be the most important is the first impression when you drive like the building(s) and the landscaping, is it's location good for your tenants, the mix of the floor plans, can you add any value, Make sure when looking at the income and expense records that you looking at actual financial statements.Are there any nearby schools and are there there any nearby amenities and what type of the parking is available to the tenants, how any nearby apartment locations and what, if any, are they doing to attract prospects, look at all units and do not let the current owner trying to get you  not to do that, how does the current rental rates being collected near the market average, does it need any capital repairs or rehab right away,does it have a positive cash flow now, is it being properly managed by property management, and is there any nearby retail development and do its match your target market.

Good thing that you have photos prior to occupancy, make sure to take after photos and/or video for your records in case these goes to court.

I was looking through the public property records for an area that I'm looking to invest in, and when I was looking through the page it said that the "2018 Total Value/Taxable", was $79,000.

well since U want owner contracts I would be following the public records of anything MOrris Ocean point in INdy there are going to be 400 plus properties that I am sure the owners would like to maximize their return on and one way to do that is to sell on contract..

You can find a more qualified tenant and they can keep the eviction off their record this way.

Having strong tenant screening practices in place helps - my manager charges $40 per credit check and doesn't make much off it, but checks court records, criminal records, credit, and so on.

If somebody can tell me how to confirm the title and take ownership away from the owners listed on record, I surely would like to know!

All I have is the owner's PO Box from the accessor's records.

I have a few properties that I'm self managing (in CA) and I'm looking to add another one by the end of the year (in another state), but I have no clue as to the best approaches when it comes to tax season.I try to keep well organized records since I have a background in personal finance and a bit of accounting, but after that I'm so lost.Are there any accountants that operate remotely?

Again, as some of you have mentioned, there will have to be an official lease, security deposit and record keeping to qualify.