@Melissa Davis The tag in your message didn't work properly and I never received a notification of your message....hence the delay in my response. :)
Other than @Ray Lai it doesn't appear anybody really stepped in to answer the question with any actionable advice so far so I'll give my 2 cents.
Lender First or Deal First
First, determining the order of operations is confusing for most of us. It can be scary to look for deals without lining up the money.
I'd speak to other "active" investors at your local Real Estate Investor Association group or here on BP about great local hard money lenders. Build a spreadsheet of their rates and requirements.
If while talking to one of these active investors you find them to be very knowledgeable and experienced, consider the possibility of doing some joint venture deals where the other investor can put up the money and mentor you while you find and manage the flips. This is how Melissa (my wife) and I got started 14 years ago.
Once you have some potential lenders, start looking for deals. Many lenders and other investors won't take you seriously unless you show them you are working to find great deals. Nothing gets a serious investor's attention like a potential deal. :) Hustle and let them know you're hustling. That will put you at a level higher than 90% of other people wanting to get into real estate investing.
Finding Deals
How do you find a good deal "without marketing"? I think a better question would be, "how do I find good deals quickly without spending a fortune on marketing?"
Melissa and I fondly remember taking our kids with us to drive for dollars. I absolutely love this and have a guide for it on my blog. It's amazing how much we had never explored the different areas of our city. We learned so much about each area and where investors were very active. It's great to find these potential "farm areas" where there is older housing stock that tends to have a higher level of motivated sellers.
Get a list of the vacant and or really distressed houses. Every time you see one, don't be shy or scared, get out of your car and talk to the neighbors. Ask them if they have contact information for the owners of the vacant house. Leave a card with them and ask they give it to the owner if they see them. Tell them you'd love to buy it and fix it up so that a nice family can call it home. I'm sure they'll be glad to get the eye sore fixed up and want to help you.
Find the owners' address on your local county tax assessor's website and send them letters stating that you are an investor that pays cash for houses and are looking to buy a house in that neighbor. Ask them to give you a call to find out what you can pay for the house at 123 Example St.
Yes, you can find out much more about driving for dollars all over BP, but I wanted to mention it here and state that it's important to not get sidetracked trying to implement 20 strategies. Become an expert at driving for dollars. Do a deal and then look at getting a website and expanding.
Hope that helps!
