Prospecting data and filtering - not all lis-pendens means "distressed property"; working manually takes time, but it teaches you what a possible-good lead is you should focus on s and what is just a "maybe" or not worth wasting your time on. 

Some attorney somewhere may have a "fool proof" way of doing them, but I haven't seen one yet that satisfies me.I have spent a lot of time in court over title issues and won each time, but it takes away from doing the thing you'd rather do.  100% agree.

Photos of the tree show it has been dead for some time, not hard to tell.the tree fell from the neighbors yard through the fence.

Used properly, with FULL disclosure to all sides, lease options, subject to etc can be beneficial to all sides.  

Looks like we're on the precipice of a full blown Buyer's market.

When cold calling an off market decision maker I let them know I have a buyer for their property and ask if we can set up a time to see it. 

How come he isn't paying the full amount?

Keep in open mind, take care of your tenants and solve one problem at a time - those are the few tips I can give you as you are getting started.

I am currently living out of state so I have hired a property management company to handle this task, however, my home is still sitting vacant with very few prospective tenants.

Most times it's almost negligible.