I find a great little house driving around just like you are and seen a door ajar open to it what looked to be at a vacant property I called the neighbor up and he knew who the owner was and I contact him and told him the door was open I in fact I’m a handyman and offered to fix it for him. He came over probably paid me for my service and I mentioned that I was looking for a house and he informed me that his mother had died in this house and he was interested in selling it as is. I wound up buying the house for $35,000 and later three years or so I sold it for 55,000 with no improvements other than occupying it cleaning up and living in it.
Keep doing just what you’re doing look for empty houses look for vacant properties unkept and ask the neighbors about the house don’t be afraid to stop and talk to the locals they can tell you who owns the house and the skinny on the house most of the time. This leaves out a realtor of any kind if you get lucky like I did and found an empty house also put the word out to your friends to keep their eyes open for properties that are coming up for sale recently to came up for sale on the road that I live on now but both are out of my price range and are much nicer house than I would like to rent to anyone so I’m not in the rental business. I am now looking for investment property only no house I intend to build a small house or a tiny house on the next piece of dirt and sell it.
