I know I know, you can get it for free by just reading through this website, I get it.

When I went on the LA County Assessor's website I can see that the taxes are current. 

I have been reading and watching the videos on the website.  

No matter how much I ‘dream’ of being a successful wholesaler in my local market, if the facts don’t line up, there’s no amount of hard work that can change the current market.What are your thoughts about using the local tax assessor’s website to find people who are behind on their taxes and making them a cash offer before they are filled for foreclosure?

Also, since being on this website several people now send me deals, lending scams or over priced whole sell deals or contractor deals to my house. 

Sadly, BiggerPockets has decided to currently remove the app while we focus on making the website a better experience for our members.

start by driving around areas in your town you would want to invest. find houses that look like they need work (bad roof, bad siding, long grass, etc) and look them up on the tax assessor website. try to get in touch with them (facebook, google, etc) and see if they want to sell. research rents and comps in the area and make sure your purchase price and after repair value will work as a cash flowing property. this is the cheapest and easiest way to start.

There are a number of ways to find deals, driving for dollars, direct mail, SEO (with website), communication with all you come in contact with, etc.As for "lipstick" deals, good luck.

If you're considering an investment outside your region or state then use websites like www.zillow.com and www.trulia.com to find out what is for sale locally in the area where you want to do business (I am using these two sites only for example; there are several other similar sites).

After doing a little research I found the bigger pockets podcast and website and realized I really don't, there are a lot of options to get started.