--Provisional License - The attached ordinance adds violations of Section 680, Weed, Rubbish, Snow, and Ice Removal, to the list of "strikes" leading to a provisional rental license.

What is the strike price? 

The entire situation was just striking me as WEIRD and I'm glad I've made the decision to work with other agents.

It's a balance between striking while the iron is hot vs. wasting a lot of time on contracts which won't ever come to fruition.  

Very interested in striking my first deal, but needless to say I'm clueless about the sequence of getting things rolling.

In Texas there are specific steps a tenant must take in order to initiate a rent strike, and specific time-tables for landlords to respond to things that might be grounds for one.  

Master Lease option that follows the  declining principal balance- If your seller knows that his property is only worth what he owes then you could master lease option the house with a strike price on the option that follows the principal balance that is getting paid down each month through the rent.4.

I considered buying a shore house, using it a few weeks per year, and then renting it out, but that seems like a headache not to mention what if another Sandy strikes?

It will cost you a lot of money and 99% of them will strike out, but you are hoping to find a select few that make you more money than it cost you to acquire the NPNs/mail the letters. 

Do you think that would be enough to strike a deal with a mentor?