I see abandoned homes in neighborhoods when driving by and I’ve tried looking online about how to find the owner and be able to contact them but I have to pay for everything.

Then look for something that you can buy for lower than the market but rent at or above the market.Also find out what a typical rehab would cost you and break it down by major components (flooring, roof, plumbing, painting, etc). 

What were some of the major factors that led you to invest in the areas you're in?

Currently I run an online business, and part of the reason for the desire to get involved with a rental property is that I see rental properties as a smarter and more stable long term investment as compared to an online business that can dry up in a few years time.Currently I live in a very low income city on the east coast.

In NE Florida, jax, all auctions have gone online, 5% down, 95% rest is due noon the next business day, via cashiers check, bag of cash maybe..the big boy players store their 100% full cash with the court account already....ive also heard local escrow account will wire that morning too, which makes sense, .......Im interested in auctions, but until i am 100% all my own cash, i feel it is almost impossible to get a hard money lender to move 95% of the cash by noon the next day...no way.... to me, you can pretty much rule out using hard money all together to fund online auctions...they don't seem to go together.. it is 100% liquid own cash or private money ready to wire from escrow..

I currently use QB online and while it works fine, I wonder whether the monthly cost is worthwhile.

I can pay a visit to the city, but I was hoping to find an answer online today.I'm in escrow to buy a house, nearing the end of my inspection period.

I think my biggest concern would be a major expense occurring with no way to pay for it and requiring a special assessment.

@Allyson Straka Most major MSAs are at or near-peak levels.

Finances - Quickbooks Desktop Version (I don't like the Online version and it costs more money)Asset Management - SmartSheet; it's like Excel on steroids (except for the formulas).