If county code enforcement is too spread out usually so more emphasis is put on the HOA to enforce.

Admittedly we had to increase the opening in the wall somewhat but as we were going to reside it we ended up replacing every window.We also had to be aware of the egress codes as we were replacing 2nd storey windows.It made a huge difference to their heating bills.

Run sold comps by zip code or neighborhood to get the average price per square foot of recent sales.Compare that value (per zip or per neighborhood) to all current active listings in that zip/neighborhood.Investigate and make offers on anything listed at a price per square foot that is > 20% below the average price per sqft for that area.This can quickly identify highly motivated sellers and property that has been undervalued in the listing.

They can sometimes exclude things that will be a problem for you-code violations, open permits, etc.

@Jared DeValkUsing a non-profit org as a pass-thru aka alter-ego nominee.

I think I'll skip on working with a house that is not up to code and needs major renovation until I'm more experienced.

We have 2 zip codes here that are in the 40% range.

Joe -I'm not really sure what you hope to accomplish by simply mailing a zip code.

For all concerned.Acronyms*REI Abbreviations**AFD* - Agreement For Deed*AITD* - All Inclusive Trust Deed*APR* - Annual Percentage Rate*ARM* - Adjustable Rate Mortgage*ARV* - After-Repaired Value*ATR* - Ability to Repay - See CFPB*BOM* - Back On Market*BOR* - Board of Realtors*CAD* - County Appraisal District*Cap* - Capitalization*CCIM* - Certified Commercial Investment Member*CCR* - Conditions, Covenants, and Restrictions*CFD* - Contract for Deed*CFPB* - Consumer Finance Protection Bureau - See ATR*CLTV* - Combined Loan To Value*CMA* - Comparative Market Analysis*COCR* - Cash on Cash Return*COF* - Cost of Funds*COO* - Certificate of Occupancy*CRB* - Certified Residential Broker*CRE* - Creative Real Estate*CRS* - Certified Residential Specialist*DBA* - Doing Business As*DCR* - Debt Coverage Ratio*DOS* - Due On Sale Clause*DOT* - Deed of Trust*DSCR* - Debt Service Coverage Ratio*FCRA* - Fair Credit Reporting Act*FED* - Created the CFPB*FFE* - Furniture, Fixture, and Equipment*FHA* - Federal Housing Administration*FHLMC* - Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Freddie Mac*FMR* - Fair Market Rent*FMV* - Fair Market Value*FNMA* - Federal National Mortage Association, Fannie Mae*FRBO* - For Rent by Owner*FSBO* - For Sale by Owner*GMAC* - General Motors Acceptance Corporation*GRM* - Gross Rent Multiplier*HELOC* - Home Equity Line of Credit*HML* - Hard Money Lender*HOA* - Homeowners Association*HUD* - Housing and Urban Development*HVAC* - Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning*IRA* - Individual Retirement Account*IRC* - Internal Revenue Code*IRR* - Internal Rate of Return*IRS* - Internal Revenue Service*L/O* - Lease Option*L/P* - Lease Purchase*L/S* - Landlord Seller*LIBOR* - London Interbank Offering Rate*LLC* - Limited Liability Company*LOC* - Line of Credit*LOI* - Letter of Intent*LP* - Limited Partnership*LPOA* - Limited Power of Attorney*LTV* - Loan to Value*MAI* - Member Appraisal Institute*MAO* - Maximum Allowable Offer*MIP* - Mortgage Insurance Premium*MLS* - Multiple Listing Service*MUD* - Municipal Utility District*NAR* - National Association of Realtors*NIV* - No Income Verification*NNN* - Triple Net Lease*NOD* - Notice of Default*NOI* - Net Operating Income*NOO* - Non-Owner Occupant*O/F* - Owner Finance*OO* - Owner Occupant*P&S* - Purchase and Sale*PITI* - Principal Interest Taxes Insurance*PMI* - Private Mortgage Insurance*POA* - Power of Attorney*PUD* - Planned Unit Development*REI* - Real Estate Investing / Real Estate Investor*REIA* - Real Estate Investors Association*REIT* - Real Estate Investment Trust*REO* - Real Estate Owned*RMLO* - Registered Mortg Loan Orginator*ROI* - Return On Investment*RTO* - Rent to Own*SFH* - Single Family House*SFR* - Single Family Residence*Sub2* - Buying property subject to existing financing*T/B* - Tenant Buyer*TAA* - Texas Apartment Association*TAR* - Texas Association of Realtors*TIL* - Truth In Lending*TREC* - Texas Real Estate Commission*UBIT* - Unrelated Business Income Tax*UCC* - Uniform Commercial Code*VA* - Department of Veterans Affairs / Veterans AdministrationFORUM ABBREVIATIONS*AFAIK* - As Far As I Know*AFK* - Away From Keyboard*AKA* - Also Known As*BBIAM* - Be Back In a Minute*BFN* - Bye For Now*BRB* - Be Right Back*BTW* - By The Way*CUL* - See You Later*FYI* - For Your Information*G2G* - Got to Go*IMHO* - In My Humble Opinion*IMO* - In My Opinion*LMAO* - Laughing My *** Off*LOL* - Laughing Out Loud*NT* - No Text*ROFL* - Rolling on the Floor Laughing*ROTFLMAO* - Rolling on the Floor Laughing My *** Off*TIA* - Thanks In Advance

A few ways to do this are:Marketing - Drive for dollars - offer to drive certain markets (zip codes) for the investor and write down addresses for abandon houses.