It was over $5,000 damage but the bed bug company said it wasn't their fault and the tenant signed the contract that the bed bug company wasn't responsible for any damages so I was stuck with fixing it myself.

The first neighborhood I would look at is anything next to infrastructure - if it has grocery stores, malls, gas stations.

We are in contract for another SFH in the Strong area.  

And that's to enter contract negotiations, so this would be via LOI not a full purchase agreement. 

(I didn’t want to take any chances, so I didn’t sell until I had both identified and actually gone to contract on a purchase.

Now, if the deal is so sweet that someone may want to step into your shoes prior to closing for a large fee, make the contract including the seller financing terms freely assignable and ironclad.Good luck.

I do most of the flipping work myself but my best friend owns a general contracting company who does flips for people. 

Inspections may cost more upfront, but they can save you from significant headaches and unexpected expenses down the road.Negotiate Hard: Use inspection findings as leverage.If the HVAC is near the end of its life, negotiate a credit for its replacement.If the cast iron plumbing is deteriorating and needs replacement, ask for a credit as well.Sellers often prefer negotiating credits over doing the work themselves.To give you an example: I was once under contract for an old house priced at $170,000.

Check the contract.

I have a good agent I've worked with for years and letting him represent me not only gives me the advantage of additional counsel, it also gives me someone else to do the heavy lifting so I can concentrate on the deals themselves rather than the intricacies of the actual contract, the process of moving everything through closing and all the hiccups that often come with investment properties.