@Don Harris I'm also new to BP and CLT, and certainly looking to get into RE investing here in the Queen City.

These can take a coupleof weeks to get an exact pay off number from the city/county.

I love in California and looking out of state-Austin, TX,  Phoenix,  AZ etc where the down payment required at 20% not a lot due to the price of homes out there compared to California.

I just saw this article on Yahoo regarding where rents are rising the fastest and thought I'd share:http://finance.yahoo.com/news/cities-where-rent-ri...I agree with the article that it isn't really a great measurement of what is really happening in an area because it is a small sampling, but might help answer some of the questions posted here along the lines of, "What city is best to invest in?" 

I just recently stumbled into tax liens as well, but California is a tax deed state.

I wanted to introduce myself my name is Heather Boren and I am a commercial real estate broker based in Woodland Hills, CA (SoCal/Los Angeles) and instructor at UCLA Extension.

I do a lot of work in the Salt Lake City/Davis County Area/ Summit Counties but have also done projects across the country.

Hi All,I live in an area in Southern CA where flipping just isn't a realistic option for me (median home price is 700k).

There are companies on this site that specialize in finding cash flow rentals for those living in pricey coastal cities. 

I would avoid the City of Detroit as many banks will not finance homes due to the lack of reliable public and utility services.