Sounds odd until you do some research into effectiveness of low budget and hours in getting deals.  

What struck me as odd was that:1) They called me instead of sending a letter or a bill first.

Which was fine by me I didn't like the profit margin bidding over 55k...Oddly that particular market has nothing by way of wholesalers.

However, if it's a legitimate educational institution the odds of that happening are pretty low. 

Listings at that price point always sit longer than average, so one-year listings are common in Los Angeles, and it sitting for 8 months isn't odd to me.

I thought that was an odd statement. 

But if you can learn how to build relationships in this business, then you'll stack the odds in your favor (and perhaps only have to work fewer leads!). 

It's an odd question considering the "We buy houses" people aren't really any different than selling to anyone else.

What are the odds of buying it cheap enough to fix up and resell it, how long do homes in your community stay on the market.

With that to the side, I recommend getting yourself set up for real estate first by improving your credit, cut debt if you have any, do odd end jobs or get a second job to save, be creative about work too such as put yourself up on Craigslist to put up lights for people for Christmas so they don't have to.