We’ve all seen that piece of property nearby — a vacant house or commercial property, maybe with an amount of empty, open land around it. It’s been that way for years.

Sometimes it’s a gem of a building that should be restored, but usually it should be knocked down and the whole lot refurbished. The questions do pop up… Why is it still sitting there? Doesn’t somebody want to own this land? It must be valuable. Is there a legal battle over who gets it? How would I find out?

Well, it does take a bit of detective work. I chose two pieces of property that have stood out for quite a while. So, let’s look at the details.