The last few scammers I dealt with had looked at public records themselves also and had done a pretty thorough job assuming the identity of the real owner, so just making sure the names match public records isn’t enough anymore.

Regular mail and CRR.

The S and P 500, over the last decade, according to wikipedia, with bring you around 11% if you stick with it and do regular contributions in up and down markets.

My regular job provides good cash flow and allows me to save up about $5-10k/mo after maxing out 401k.

I often hear great agents say they regularly hear "I would love to use you as my agent, but my neighbor's 19 year-old daughter that is working at Starbuck's just got her license, so I feel compelled to use her."

Observation 1:  It appears that properties are selling fast, and regularly above market value.   

Even with $0 down I may be able to cover the mortgage with BAH from the military but then I'm concerned about all the other costs (CAPEX, PM costs, regular maintenance, taxes, etc.).

Hi forum, I'm sure this topic comes up regularly, but...We have purchased a vacation rental in Coastal Connecticut, Beach community. 

When I started asking questions like that actual name of the company they use for background checks and verifying identity… she started to get defensive… apparently it’s a $1,000 to have them get your guaranteed short term funding.

Given an identical property in each area, I would order these neighborhoods from best to worst as Franklinton, South Linden, Whitehall, North Linden, Hilltop.