We do a lot of work in flood zones and from what I've heard regarding "stilts"(we call them pilings) is you're looking at 20-30k extra over a traditional slab with a crawl space....Most of our footings are within a couple feet of sea level so we've never needed pilings but if you're indeed that deep you defintiely can't pour a footing on top of muck.....The other concern is flood insurance - the lower your first floor elevation the higher the flood insurance - I'd imagine if your first floor is under 10' the insurance would be astronomical.....your best bet is to talk to an engineer, get a survey, and go from there.

Something that would be very useful, for example, would be a deep rolodex of debt investors who are looking to park money in safe 8% yield investments.

Depending on how much further you would like to deep, I would put a picket fence around the property, not for privacy but for esthetics.

With an 800 ft deep double lot & a huge barn in disrepair, it had two 3 bed/2 bath units but in pre '70's disrepair.I watched it drop to $69,900 & sell subject to financing which I knew it wouldn't pass.

Look at the big picture before you dive too deep into the forums.  

It's nice only about two blocks deep from the river and then there are vacant $10,000 houses.  

Specialized skill in solving unique problems will set you apart from the run of the mill investment strategies and formulas.This a people business and a problem solving business, not a "real estate supermarket" where you merely pluck properties of the shelf looking for the lowest prices, highest yields, and comparison shop like going to Walmart or Costco.My personal preference after 20+ years of investing is that I would much rather drive a 2-3 hr radius digging deep for opportunity than hopping on a plane for 3 hrs one way, spending a week in a hotel and buying off the shelf.  

I'd like to add in something showing empathy but not too deep where it would irritate someone.

With a partner, you may also not have to make monthly interest payments - depending on your cash situation, that can be a big stress reliever.  

The more times you take a deep dive running the numbers getting experienced you can start using "paper napkin" numbers to make deal analysis easier/quicker.