I've come across a couple of properties that seem to be vacant and through some internet sleuthing I've determined that the owner is absent.

Updated internet system - great.  

i would concentrate on the first property that's almost ready and get it done and rented so you have some income coming in. as long as you can afford to keep the other one then hold it.

so...a long, long time ago, in the days before the internet they used to do "foreclosure" or "trustee" sales on the court house steps. 

First, i would not furnish the places, it will probably get trashed, let them get there own furnishings and make sure that the lease says they must remove them from the property when they leave. i would have them pay for utilities, to an extent - have them pay for electric, supply the heat but give them an allowance for certain amount of months ( especially if you have older furnaces and they run on oil heat ) if they go over then you charge them for it. i converted mine to gas with new furnaces, i include heat in mine, but i control the thermostat ( online, thermostat is locked at the house ). i also provide water / sewer and free internet.

BP is quite possibly the greatest free resource to help you get started in the real estate investment world that there is on the internet.

Hi,   I am new to REI, and have been researching a lot over internet and BP!.

I think I create really good houses (concentrating on the home's systems and use long wearing finishes), then have been screening my own tenants and selling as turn-key.

Asking price: $245,000 - reasonable for the areaEstimated Monthly Rent under current leases: $2500.00 - on the low side of the range for the area but the tenant base is long term and stableAnnual Taxes: $5000Annual Insurance - Unknown/information requestedUtilities - Unknown/information requestedBuilding Owner pays for alarm monitoring,electric and water bills - have asked for monthly cost averages but do not have yet.Individual tenants pay their own internet and phoneDescription: 2400 sqft, brick building with a 10 space parking lot, good location Known upcoming repair is HVAC for the downstairs (est $5k), upstairs HVAC has already been replaced.Thank you for your time as well as your opinion on this deal, recommendations for additional questions, additional information etc. 

its suspect for sure.private money is just that some person you know .. not met on line .. trying to find private money on line is no more or less than internet dating.. who knows who you are meeting.any lender that wants points and super low rate is suspect on its face.. just not the real world..