If you are paying the utilities and get a bill that seems "off", you need to investigate sooner rather than later.

You go to some weekend home owner classes and learn how to own a house:)Here is one of the links but if you are looking to buy this might be something worth investigating more for both LA city and county areas.Good luck with your search!

Is there some kind of online private investigation resource?

Everyone has different goals, if your goal is cash flow then it deserves "further investigation".

I am investigating the concept of lending money for apartment/small commercial projects in Arizona. 

still researching the nuts and bolts on this one.Not sure if any of this helps, but at least may give you some ideas that you could investigate further.Jeff V

I see a home in an area I am interested in I investigate.

There may be an opportunity for seller financing here, I'd need to investigate.

In investigating and executing on project one, and now project two, we are curious about how to turn this into either a side business that helps make us some additional short term lumpy revenue as well as long term rental revenue, depending on the property, geography, and demographic.  

We are where we need to be financially to take the leap so yesterday I began investigating the ownership of the house.