That may be one "good use" for those types of courses.  I haven't reviewed any personally, but I imagine that it would be possible to get enough information from one of those courses to do your own investigating.  Just be aware that there are many aspects of a complete title search that you aren't going to be able to get from a "self-study course" in title abstracting.  It may help you become familiar enough with the real estate records to do some preliminary research, but I would advise you to have an attorney or title company provide you with a title opinion before you buy.

However, the work you do yourself could quickly rule out a bad investment before you hire someone.

Best of luck,
Robert A. Franco
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