I could go on for pages of what could go wrong if you are absentee and far away (and trying to manage it from afar).Bear in mind you may have to go by frequently for any number of issues related to the tenants, the building, etc.

A frequent scenario would be they own their home but cannot yet afford to own their office in our prime $500-$1000/sf commercial hotspots.

I frequently attend ones in Falls Church.

If you are frequently being outbid then that is just part of the game.

Furthermore, without a Premium account, the most frequent you can get notified of a new listing is weekly.  

If you're getting replies and frequently then you're doing everything correctly.

Many multiple offer scenarios, and we are frequently confronted with the cash vs financed offers.

I don't have much grass so need someone who works frequently in the area. 

When the property is not listed it means it is in contract You did not have to wait for the price drop HUD is done by bids so you can have made your best offer regardless of listing price.Still keep any eye out for the property because they frequently fall out of escrow due to the fact any little buyer mistake HUD will cancel the deal..Zillow is a couple of weeks behind in their information so you should contact the listing agent for status 

Check with your QI as I'd have to imagine they handle this specific question quite frequently.