Getting started/pre-foreclosures/crazy market

[Gala Klein]

Hello! My first forum question - thanks for your patience. My question is regarding foreclosures and pre-foreclosures as well as general getting started. I have subscribed to a couple of sites to gain access to foreclosures. I check Zillow. I've gone to the County Assessors, Recorders, and even the Treasurer's office to find notice of default lists- they had no idea what I was talking about. Told me to try banks. Someone told me to check Auction.com - which I also do. These listings state there are literally only 7 foreclosures available. Seven. Am I missing something, or is inventory really that low??? Home prices here have jumped $35K since the beginning of the year and yes, that is due to low inventory, but everyone always says there's a way and there are deals to be found. And I'm trying. I also D4D. I've sent letters and made phone calls. Received one call back, and she was an investor who was wondering what my letter was all about. There's no REIA here, but I found a small group of investors on Meetup.com. Their next meeting isn't until next month, so I'm just waiting, but I've made contact with the organizers and have asked questions and offered to help with the group. I just don't know what else to do in the meantime. I'm currently looking for and researching on how to obtain and use contracts. Looking for an RE attorney. Have tried contacting developers/contractors in the area as potential buyers. Any other suggestions for a newbie investor? Thanks!