Having a screening mechanism with a third party verification service can be the gate in cases where one is relying on a traditional Reg.

I always buy south of fruitville rd, and really target south and gulf gate, if you're looking for deal go and see adam robinson, always knows some about some good deals, all depends on what you want to pay, i tend to spend 100-120k and aim for 1500 pcm, i just get my guys to go to big box stores

Just closed on ourchase of 2nd home for TAK Enterprises.

@John Montgomery Congrats on getting close to negotiating your first deal...I would say the most important thing is to "know your objective"...There are a lot of great answers on this thread, but ultimately we are all making "shots in the dark" as to the best option for you because it's our perspective...This is still valuable, but can become very confusing because you don't know each person's perspective...MY Suggestion is to know your goal over the next 3-5 years...I will let you know a little about my perspective...I am a Rehabber and Have Been Buying and Rehabbing over the past 8 years here in Chicago...I've been in your shoes...I wanted to be the Big Shot and rehab deals straight out the gate(Little to No Money & No Experience but a few REI Boot Camps- basically No Experience)...To say I've had a lot of Failures during my 14 years of being involved in studying REI is an Understatement...If I was starting all over again, and my objective is to be able to build a robust REI Biz that can allow me to rehab 6-12 homes a year, wholesale 2-3 properties per month, and build a rental portfolio...I would first focus on getting good at one objective first...Generally most people start out wholesaling because it doesn't require the money or experience rehabbing or landlording requires...I would start with Wholesaling...go find 5-10 very good rehabbers and find out their Criteria for a Great Deal...Commit to building Value for them and ultimately a great relationship.With this you will already have buyers lined up, you know what areas to look for properties in, and you can research public record and see what they are paying for properties on the acquisition(and also ask them, but keep them honest by researching public record)...At this point become the best wholesaler to these rehabbers...you will learn a lot just in this process alone...How to evaluate Comps, Repair Values, Neighborhoods, etc...Which a great wholesaler will know how to do...It will make your deals easier to sell...Ultimately I would see which one of these Rehabber will be open to the idea of partnering/mentoring me on how to get into that arena...They may even allow you to follow the progress of their deals...Every deal has its surprises and over the course of 10-20 deals you will get a real life idea of what those surprises are, and even understand the "reason why" you calculate certain contingencies into deals and also what are the most costly mistakes or repairs to look for and avoid on deals...The value of this Experience will accelerate your learning curve...In my experience one mistake for a beginner can cost you a ton of money and even put you out of the rehab business.There is no way you can learn all the mistakes you must avoid by reading a book or taking a 3-day training program. 

This is another place where a building inspector could help warn you about any major repairs that may be coming due in the near future (new roof, new heating/AC, etc)Property Filter strategyProperty must be in price ranges of 25000 to 675,000 with the maximum including repairs.Must be maximum 25 years oldMust NOT have nearby UN-clean properties Ex/ non maintained lawn, crumbling roof/structure, torn gates, abandoned cars and possible current crime related houses Must not have major issues or structure issues,examples include an unstable foundation, and big holes in the roof or walls.Seller must be willing to pay 50 percent closing costsMust not have taxes that go over 8250 annually Must have at least 25% in equityMust have the potential rent value of at least 500Must not have more than 2 mortgages on the propertyDocumentation to ask the seller for:Leases/rents for the past year, Tenant applications and screening procedures, tax returns for the past 2 years, also income and expenses for the past year, current rent roll (including unoccupied units, unpaid rents, and concession losses), List of improvements on property in the last 10 years.Documentation of all loans against propertyAvoid all illegal conversions or constructions.Avoid houses with no electrical wiring or AC or plumbing or if these criteria are severely damaged.Property must have cash flow of at least a total of 100 dollars.Plan for Financing At 18 years of age I will start investing in Multi homes with a loan called 203b mortgage (an FHA loan).This will allow me to only put up 3.5 % as a down payment and have a very low interest rate of around 3.5-3.9%.This loan requires me to live in the property for 1 year + though and have mortgage insurance, and so I will live in one unit while my other 1 or 2 units are rented out while I attend college.My down payment and closing costs will be from saved money from jobs in fast food and other work areas from beforehand.I will use 30 year fixed rates.Steps to take in the whole process:Have my attorney write up my contracts beforehand which include ways to exit before closing, financing terms, closing costs being 50/50 split , make sure the sellers future property info is accurate and reliable or else he is accountable and everything else he/she recommends Have my loan prequalified beforehandMake a lowball offerNegotiate until an offer is accepted or you have hit the buying price limit, or the 70% ruleOnce an offer is accepted inspect the house thoroughly by an appraiser and an inspector and take lots of pictures and videosrequest these forms:Leases/rents for the past year, Tenant applications and screening procedures, tax returns for the past 2 years, also income and expenses for the past year, current rent roll (including unoccupied units, unpaid rents, and concession losses), List of improvements on property in the last 10 years.Documentation of all loans against propertyIf the deal is still sweet, go ahead and continue with closing and finalize the deal Hire a property manager with at least 3 recommendations and question him about      these areas of work, also ask for a complete list of all past clients contact numbers.

Go to the neighbors, if it is a gated community, ask the security guard, and then there is also going to the home improvement stores and asking around or getting there first thing when the contractors and trades people start their day.

Most on this site aren't even aware of all the fences much less how to get through the gates.

I can't wait to see the finished house-great work so far.We had to do MANY dump runs when we bought our current farm, is it bad the guys at the dump gate know your truck lol?

Its not a great area, but it is extremely close to the gate for the local military base in Jacksonville, NC.

Now the thing is they just moved in and haven't even bothered turning on the electricity period they think its ok to jump the gate into my backyard and run a extension from an outlet to use day and night.