Does anyone have any tips on how to find prime "hot spots" around town or know any reliable ways to find foreclosed houses?

Texas had done very well during the market down turn and is hot as fire cracker now.  

Data that trends one way may mean future boom times (or a future all-Pro player) in one case, but a hot mess in another.I don't mean to poo-poo the discussion, I have strong opinions on the effects of quantitative easing, the willingness of banks to engage in certain types of lending such as mortgages, the regulations and backing of such lending, and data/examples that have led me to those conclusions and love to debate them with knowledgeable folks like here on BP!

I have put nearly $`13,000 in electrical  rewiring of both units, painting, new ceiling fans, and a new hot water boiler for the un-rented unit.

Right now the DMV is hot. 

I had a talk with my X CFO  this week about this very same thing.. she is now CFO at one of PDX bigger HML  they are about 50 million.. and they are cognizant and worried about how they will compete against the CF.I was instrumental in getting both of these crowd funders properly licensed in Oregon. which is a Red hot market for a lender ...

The house I grew up in wouldn't cool below 78 when it got really hot, really couldn't go more than 20 degrees below the exterior. 

Check the plumbing - I prefer to always run new hot/cold risers and laterals before you start renting, as it will never be an easier time and you can sleep well at night knowing there will be no calls from tenants about a water leak!

@Deb Merrill I would probably go with natural gas forced hot air.

But, the market will tell you what's hot and what's not. :)