, 2) it manages the properties directly so there are many hands in the cookie jar, and 3) how/when/impact if "they" decide to liquidate properties and what would be the exact impact to me? 

Meanwhile, the sellers who are most likely to offer creative financing are normally the owners of  real estate that have issues.....condition.....low barrier/over supply market......or perhaps pricing issue, and one of these factors is why its not marketable in a arms length transaction and why creative financing would be accepted.

To become a true business owner or investor, you need to leverage your time through others.

We've seen this soooo many times in our Detroit market:(Have actually had owners choose not to do business with us because their previous PMC didn't require it - so, they thought we were the incompetent ones.Have also seen incompetent PMCs wiring funds internationally to owners - and these owners not having an ITIN, EIN or SSN!

I would first suggest deciding your budget and strategy.

Listings also tend to tick up in the offseason as investor owners look to test the market. 

Cheap homes for an area are cheap for a reason - low to no demand from local investors or owners. 

For example, maybe you will get to 10, 20, 30 houses and then find an owner who has a large portfolio and all of a sudden you are at a high door count and now need to hire, need to build your policy binder, and all the other stuff that comes with running a business.

I would also recommend paying attention to the landlord restrictions, rent control and overall laws as it relates to owner/tenant relationships.

As you know, I was so impressed by the quality of the offering that I decided to join as well and have been on a couple of group calls.I'm the Director of Commercial Real Estate Acquisitions for Southcorp Group in Columbus, Georgia.