Would East Palo Alto a good bet?

Sometimes you can search the online county records for this information.In addition, I believe it is required by all states that the individual counties must publish (in a public publication) the list of all properties that will be auctioned off on the courthouse steps (this would include all foreclosures).  

BP has free online educational courses and videos for you to watch and learn from and also has it's own podcast in itunes for you to listen to as well.

At BP, not only can you network with other investors, you can get the information you need on real estate investing by watching the free online videos and taking the free online courses.

I bet you will be buying a house in no time once you start working with a lender that is able to offer a variety of loan products and outline the steps you need to take.

In NJ, I did most of the title research online myself via public resources, and had a pretty good system built up, and successfully flipped 6 to 8 houses last year.

I would bet the OP was expecting for the transaction to be under the table, all cash, no taxes, no insurance, no W9, no reporting -- which is not that uncommon in LA.

I'd love to hear from folks using online apps and having applicants pay for credit/criminal checks themselves.

My wife and I are in the process of taking online real estate courses but working full time jobs and three smaller kids, its difficult to complete and retain information.The goal is to start small and then invest in more multi-family home.

At BP, not only can you network with other investors, BP has tons of great information including free online courses and videos for you to watch and learn from.