While it was nice to learn, I ultimately realized that my time is much more valuable doing what I do best and it's better to pay for those who specialize in evictions.

Realize there are no 'secrets'.

As such I realize what an opportunity I had and invested my all into it.To be clear, the goal in my real estate ventures is NOT to swing all the hammers, run all the wires, or till and grade all the properties.

I realize that a full feasibility study will most likely be required if I move forward with an LOI and purchase contract.

I agree, people need to realize this is just a form of leverage and going at it 100% is ok as long as you have the income to support it.

I didn't realize it but they did pay for 2 years (40 % capital returned).

I know that there absolutely are deals that can help me realize my goal of generating cash flow to replace my active income with passive income. 

Until you have been burned by a seller you do not realize how important an estoppel is.

In the past I have sold the property  back to the original owner once they realized that it had been sold to me.One last thing: it is possible to clear the title via a court proceeding, but it is slow and expensive so make sure it is worth it if you go this route.

@Antonio Maria Farinha - I started out with a condo, but I soon realized that scaling is dependent upon how quickly you can come up with funds for down payments and equity.