@Gayle Eisner President Obama apparently didn't hear from the same experts you did since he invested $15 mill a few weeks ago for their vacation home on Martha's Vineyard.

In fact, it won't even be 10 cents.Actually, it's $3.45 - 57.5¢/mile  That's not $3.45 taken off of your AGI, so the IRS does not "give you" $3.45, its more like 15% (thanks to Obama) of that when you really look at it ;) That is 51 cents.

I want my income to appear as low as possible so I can avail myself of no federal income tax and free healthcare from Uncle Obama.

There is little doubt in my mind that sometime in the future they (Congress, not Obama, as he'll be out of office by then) will make a concentrated push to "get back" some (if not all) of all their "lost" tax revenue when they start wondering how to fill the massive holes in our budget, while looking at this big huge juicy pile of promised tax free money just sitting there.I hope I'm wrong, and you just hit a home-run with your apartment purchase!

wayne, you are wrong. check with the obama adminstrations ruling in 2009. they put a limit on the number of houses a bank can release to market in 2009 because the flood of foreclosures hitting the market was killing the housing market. and micheal has an excellent idea with contacting the owner, but here is another idea. the last step in foreclosure for a bank is to have a foreclosure/ trustee auction. usually held right at the county court house. sometimes called a sheriffs sale. you can go to this auction and bid against the bank on any house. in most cases the bank wins, but not always. you could get a decent house for a decent price if you want to outbid the bank. they are only going to bid just so high. 

Or the election of Obama for a third term.

Working on the Obama care and it does seem affordable. 

That was passed during the Obama administration, and its protections have already expired. 

I just saw on FB and curious to what you all think...http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/420896/massive-government-overreach-obamas-affh-rule-out-stanley-kurtz

Also, from pursing short sale leads, in the early stages just a after an LP,  I've found owners are either in denial, hope for a miracle, figure they have a couple of free years, think the Obama train will save them, etc. and just don't seem to be motivated yet.