I agree with Will's definitions, but I also will agree with Jon that the terms are sometimes used interchangeably by those who aren't aware of the distinctions that Will has mentioned.

I didn't fully understand why it seems like you are making a distinction between the "regular investor buyer" or the "owner occupants".

The distinction between the two is made by examining the lowest course of block - right at the floor level.

Joel is completely correct in his distinctions between cash for keys and a deed in lieu.

From this thread I gather than @Nicholas Quinn has done this several times, but only with his wife, and that may be a special case.If I understood correctly, @Dion DePaoli says you can sign the mortgage but not the note or the loan application, which is a distinction I was not aware of.

I should have made the distinction.

The search engine is not very robust, so you either need to scan through all the notices for a particular county and time span, or choose a distinctive word (such as subdivision name) on which to search.

@Shaun Reilly Really appreciate you reaching out, Shaun - I very clearly remember listening to the podcast when you were a guest and being distinctly impressed by your success, especially since I've lived and worked in this area for many years now!

We actually have budget surpluses, businesses that want to move here and a distinct lack of regulations compared to CA.

Once you have made that distinction, study it, take action and go for it.