We also pull tax information and public records data to help estimate things on the expense side.I personally have 25 listings and recommend that folk do as you say and learn the nuances and intimacies for specific properties in specific markets.

Can anyone provide recommendations on searchable public records data providers that cater to individual investors? 

. - there seems to be confusion in this thread between public records data, and private data.

AFAIK, zillow is populated from public records data.

You just can't get anything comparable from just a single public records data source like the assessors office. 

Most of the time we have people saying public records data are "bad", it has more to do with their lack of understanding of what it is, and their expectations from it, then the actual data itself.

Sometimes Zillow or even the MLS will bring in public records data, and will show houses as have 1.5 baths or 2.5, etc.  

I've always created my own lists using either the MLS or public records data.

Paul TOP EMERGING MARKETS HOUSTON, TX CHARLESTON, SC ATLANTA, GA LAS VEGAS GREENVILLE, NC CHICAGO, IL DALLAS, TX RALEIGH, NC MINNEAPOLIS, MN CHARLOTTE, NC PHOENIX, AZ LOGAN, UT BISMARK, ND COLLEGE STATION, TX LEBANON, PA MORGANTOWN, WV ITHACA, NY FARGO, ND IOWA CITY, IA LONGVIEW, TX STATE COLLEGE, PA The 10 markets, ranked by highest share of foreign buyers, according to public records data, are:Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla.Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla.North Point-Bradenton-Sarasota, Fla.Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla.Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Ariz.New York County, N.Y.

You can drive and find them, you can go into public records and search street by street, or probably some other somewhat labor intensive things.I'd guess you can just buy a list from a list provider as well.Going back to the real estate agent stuff they might have the ability to pull that information from the MLS systems public records data.