People told me I shouldn’t use my retirement funds to get started, but glad I did.

I imagine for people who have had accounts there for a little while would be approved quickly.Also on the cashout refi definitely hit up Community Bank.

Maybe also consider if they are "good people" that work in the community and just want a safe place to raise their family. 

Don't expect these people to have anything to do with you once the transaction is over and a lot of bitter, nasty fights along the way. 

🤔 Anyway my point is you need to surround yourself with likeminded people.  

But for many people, it is one of a number of sources of deal flow, to add to MLS listings, wholesalers, direct owner outreach, auction, etc.Assuming you are specifically talking about sheriff auctions, just make sure you familiarize yourself with the general procedures for the auction.  

Mistake #3 was not having knowledgeable people around to be able to ask questions.

Quote from @Elias Halvorson: Aloha Diandre, You will get 100 people responding on here responding they can do it and their company focuses on it.

There are a lot of great resources here and around the web for people looking to invest in Birmingham.

Too often, I just hear people say they are "looking for a good deal", but defining that good deal in a specific area makes it much easier to spot.