You'll be able to tell by the look and feel of those properties' interiors if they were done by investors or not.Then you can go to the Cook County Assessor's Website (or whatever county you're searching in), search the address of that particular house and you can find the tax record with the owner information on it.

Consider too that we have unique risks (i.e. the state of our current budget and our dependence on oil.)  

Interior1st and 2nd Floor tenants have oil heat (they pay for heat themselves), 3rd floor is electric heat (tenant paid as well).

But yes if most insurance is water, then Florida is oil.

You can cook the numbers in your head however you want.I consider my HELOC interest as an expense of sorts, but the principal is just my own money I am "saving".

That said, I am drawn to Anchorage for its setting - views of the Chugach, Sleeping Lady, the Alaska Range, Cook Inlet, Turnagain Arm, proximity to "the real Alaska", and recreational opportunities like Kincaid Park, Far North Bicentennial Park, and Chugach State Park - while having the amenities of a mid-size American city.

Also, working with a buyer's agent can be helpful because as long as your agent is worth their salt they will help you know when the listing side is selling you snake oil. 

Like Brandon Ingegneri stated, you have to prime everything, we used the Kilz oil based primer on every wall, ceiling and floors.  

Don't buy a new car, don't rent a high end apartment, learn to budget, learn to shop for groceries, learn to cook.

@Matt Leonard thank you for pointing out about the cook book ... lol.