Even if you are not cash flowing on day one, that's okay (in my opinion), you're not paying the full mortgage on your own, which in of itself is a huge win and you learn other tangible real estate investing skills along the way by simply owning. 

A wholesaler in Pflugerville brought me a deal when their cash buyer fell through, and it ended up being a win-win.Digging Into Pre-Development Permits: Austin has a lot of new developments, and I’ve had success reaching out to property owners near upcoming projects.

Quote from @Hanna Brown: @Jay Hinrichs If the bidder at the auction pays cash for keys to get the homeowner out, does the person redeeming from the owner position (exercising rights of redemption w/in 180 days) have to reimburse them for those costs they paid to get the homeowner out? 

So the Janitor usually wins, defined as making more passive income than your expenses, because his expenses start off so low and stay low.Unfortunately, after you play it a while, you get to know what to look for, like when that one stock becomes available for, I forget, $3 or something ...

To me that is a win but it may not seem like it to someone who is investing simply for cash flow.  

(Every market is a bit different so know your market)-remember: you win or lose the day you buy your deal.

I just winning a bid and very regret. 

I doubt many are going into credit card debt or if they are that's kind of crazy.. as this part of real estate has no smoke and mirrors generally.And I suspect because most of these folks are doing some sort of PPM and need to deal with accredited investors.. that separates those wanting to start to those who have already had some financial win's or experience and just looking for a new avenue.. 

For example, if they have to take 1/2 day off work and they earn $20/hour and they charge you $80, that would be hard for you to win IMO.

The chance of winning is slim to nil.