However, the mistake I see a lot of investors make and one that I am trying to avoid is the mistake of confusing investing with gambling.

If the place is empty and you are willing to gamble, offer to send them the keys back with a deed in lieu of foreclosure.

We have attempted networking, sent maybe 5 messages to locals on BP and they got labeled as spam, attended some REI groups, and even offered to pay for mentoring- question/answering sessions on BP. 

If you are taking uncalculated risks then it is simply gambling or betting. 

If I'd been doing this longer, and could afford to lose a little money; I would definitely take a gamble on this one.

Did you check your spam folder?

I tried a Craigslist ad but got only spam back.

Account Closedjust tell your friend that flipping is a gamble, and never gamble more than you can afford to lose. sounds like amateur in the deep end of the pool. needs to learn in the kiddie pool first.Terry Lao

We put these rules in place to keep our forums free from the clutter and spam that you see in so many other online forums. 

As I recall it was a lot of Craigslist spamming (not in a bad way) and trying to appeal to people that emotionally wanted "land".