And if the cause of the motivation is financial distress, then I would humbly submit to you that those troubles didn't begin last month when they were put on the pre-foreclosure list. 

Do you think building a nice website to outline all benefits of the lot size/location, nearby amenities, pretty pictures and video and a clean way to submit bids and stay in touch with me...would all that be overkill? 

@Brandon Cravens, the tax records he is looking for are the ones the seller submitted to the IRS, not the local property tax records. 

In order to get this, you must submit a loan application.

With that being said, what steps should I take prior to submitting an offer to protect myself and my investment?

Tried doing a cash-out refinance with Quicken to find another deal and this is the response I got: Unfortunately when I submit this through the electronic underwriting system I don't get the thumbs up.

Tried doing a cash-out refinance with Quicken to find another deal and this is the response I got: Unfortunately when I submit this through the electronic underwriting system I don't get the thumbs up.

Tried doing a cash-out refinance with Quicken to find another deal and this is the response I got: Unfortunately when I submit this through the electronic underwriting system I don't get the thumbs up.

Again in Florida it may be different (although having a Tampa agent come on would be a big help)I went ahead and looked up the rules for the MLS in Tampa and the following is listed:"Note 1: The multiple listing service shall not have a rule requiring the listing broker to disclose the amount of total negotiated commission in his listing contract, and the association multiple listing service shall not publish the total negotiated commission on a listing which has been submitted to the MLS by a participant.

For this specific deal I was looking for an agent who was also registered with HUD and could submit a bid on my behalf.