early, the SD County Assessor now has a subscription service to purchase bulk plat maps. I belong to it and it is cheaper than paying $2 for each map.
You can make ONE visit to 1600 Pacific Hwy (north end, 1st ofc on left) to look in the orange binders for an hour-plus to obtain the numbers of the maps of your choice (good lot configurations for parking toys, alley access, facing a certain direction, ocean or whitewater view, etc) and then order them online and they will be mailed to you in bulk. Keep them for future reference and begin to monitor the public records of the properties within them. Keep in mind those which have little to zero owing on them and also those with out-of-county owners.
Pay no attention to the over-mortgaged, foreclosed and about-to-be-foreclosed as these properties already have a “captive audience” chasing them.
If you have the “right” maps of the “right” blocks, you won’t find very many, IF any, “distressed” properties. Those areas typically hold their values (and even appreciate, ESP if remodeled) very, very well 🙂
