I use Accurint to dig further (skip trace).

Being the skeptical person that i am, I did some digging to validate his story. 

If you have any clue in the world what neighborhood it's in, you could theoretically get someone in those offices to dig through old transactions and find those maps for you.It'll have to be your go-to realtor or lender that's closed deals with you in the past to make it worth her or his time.

I just learned by digging through the forums, that I can qualify for VA loans until I reach 12 months prior to getting out.

They will come out and dig test holes and take measurements for around $250 during escrow. 

I'm concerned with the legal cost associated with this in Chicago.The basement has a ceiling height of less than 7', so digging the floor will be expensive.

Dig in and keep listening.Otherwise, please leave us a rating and review on iTunes -- click here.http://www.biggerpockets.com/podcast

If you want to dig further, just run some of the popular mortgage calculators and see what your 5 year, interest expenses would be.

IT is especially less expensive if your water utility uses the electronic (most of them use rfid tags) meter scanners, because that means it's less likely you will need to dig up and replace or add new pipe.  

With the new technology and scanners they don't have to dig a trench so it makes it much much easier.