Developers can and will do the same.The above is much more likely when you are talking pre-sales for a large condo development that needs to start now but can not release units for 2-3 years.

Most sellers will tell you if you ask as they know you can largely figure it out based on the public documents.

Put a fence up with large no trespassing signs on their side; call the absentee landlord and told them they needed to clean up the apartment house and stop renting to criminals and stood in the yard and yelled at them.Told the local cops everything and they went next door to interview the culprits.

It's all of the choices that you DO have control over that will largely determine how much you SPEND over the long term.

Short term projects tend to be better than large.

John,Yes, many of the large landlord associations publish this data.

It is the oldest RE website on the net with a large, active community.Again, my only connection is to know some of the people who participate in the discussions and I paid real money to buy the manual.

Some folks buy and then sell short term so they can put more equity into their rentals as they own rentals in market that do not cash flow without a large lump of cash invested.One's strategy does need to adjust to the market.Two quotes for you to consider when you drive around:"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."

Banks will pay for other services but those also can be handled by licensed agents (BPO, clean out scheduling, coordinating maintenance and some evictions).Unless you want to buy a large portfolio and have a large bank balance to demonstrate Proof Of Funds (POF) assume that most deals will be through a local RE agent.

In fact it's often the sale of a large asset (house) that often hold up final dispostition.This should be a lesson to everyone; it's a bad idea to leave undivided interests in RE to multiple parties.