If you have an opportunity to skip that I say go for it.Get your license, listen to your mentor and if you need immediate cash work with your license and list homes or help buyers.

or should I take those last few dollars and hire an inexpensive skip trace service to locate the owner(s) of some of those abandoned properties?

I am trying to find a good skip tracing site, all of them don't seem to be updated in the past 6 months however.

Rick Harmon you're like the Probate 007...So that leads me into my next question if you would be so kind to answer it.I went to the court house the other day and pulled out a handful of probate files.Should I scan each file for the last 6 months or so or are there certain files I want and others I should skip?

They master doesn't want inspired slaves...the want obedient slaves and when every aspect of your life depends on the master for survival (medicare, medicaid, social security, housing assistance, food assistance, free school breakfasts/lunch/dinner, etc) you will indeed be obedient. 

You may need to do some skip tracing that will cost some $.

To skip that all together, sell to a buy and holder.Retail or wholesale, so long as the buyer intends to hold the property, then no resale issues are there.

"Feedback is the breakfast of Champions."

A good skip tracer is my best friend in these situations.

a friend also advice me to use a skip tracer, do you have any recommendation for the south florida / Broward County area??