Summary;  95% of all pre forclosure owners refuse to even talk about selling inspite of the empending auction. 

@Jerry Tello I should have mentioned the laws and how they affect your returns vary tremendously from state to state, and sometimes county to county.

Since you are on the Austin forum and stated you are from Texas, I would be happy to get on a phone call or have coffee with you to help you focus on the task ahead.However, let me remind you, I am neither a real estate agent, or lender.  

Much like other markets in the Midwest, investors go to our market because of the low barrier to entry.

most of the above have a general known sqftage, known market area, known look, known parking and access, etc etc.  

I think your on the right track some sort of glamping..

I have been investing in the Las Vegas market for a couple years.

Since you're open to markets beyond NYC, you might want to connect with local investor meetups or REI groups in those areas to build relationships with agents, wholesalers, and lenders who understand the nuances of each market.If you're looking to break out of analysis paralysis, maybe start by narrowing down one or two target markets and running numbers on actual deals.

Go to your favorite search engine (e.g. google.com) and type in "North Carolina 10 day notice" and you will get a ton of responses.

The upward trend of those orders suggests there is a WAVE of REOs coming.