Depending on what you consider a "mess" I know you can't.

For example, you see a deal on this site that someone else has posted.

People might say that bungee jumping is risky, it may be risky if your doing it off a shaky wood bridge by a drunk guy in mexico, but bungee jumping is really not risky at all when you are doing it at a place that does bungee jumping everyday and has a time tested track record.When you say something like bungee jumping is risky you are really saying that it puts fear in you to take a chance with someone else, or something else controlling whether or not you live or die.

Assuming no significant issues (such as repairs, etc.) that would cause an investor to avoid the proerty, why hasn't someone else purchased the property if they would generate a good cash flow?

The opposite seems to be true but what else can be expected when generation after generation have lived on government handouts?

Or something else?

Just enough incentive to keep them there because everything else is still more expensive.Then if you do lose the tenants you rent to new tenants at market.

Does anyone else have their own way of advertising vacancies?

You should be able to perform due diligence on a property in a matter of a day or two, so I would move and not worry about who else might be looking until it happens.

If you're buying right and don't have much cash out of pocket, you should easily be able to cash flow well and not have to mess with the rehab because of the regular amounts of cash coming in every month.