Lately I have found some excellent small business contractors that do great work without the high overhead.  

Windsor Hills is another excellent choice, but the homes are more expensive there. 

Never wager more than you're willing to lose.

My first step in analyzing the properties on the list is to copy the data from the Sheriff's list into an excel spreadsheet.

We have excellent credit and can quite easily qualify for a mortgage.2.

The house is in a pretty great neighborhood with excellent schools and options to commute to most parts of the bay area and I am confident that I will be able to rent it out soon. 

I have excellent credit score (above 770 and no other mortgages). 

Excellent credit score (795), personal guarantee I make 115k annually from my 9-5, no collateral at the moment.

At this point, I would recommend having a line of credit to cover these things so you don't have money sitting in the bank doing nothing when it could be put to work.I have 33 units, no debt except for mortgages, and excellent income.

I use Excell to keep up with income and expenses and any repairs or improvements.