I seek properties that are to some level distressed to rehab into rentals.

That's the reason we target distressed properties.

He responded with “Hello this is Felipe wholesaler in Orange County Nice to hear from you hope your event went well I have motivated cash buyers That love places in distress or properties that aren’t listed in the market”I’m wondering how legit this is if he is a wholesaler and truly has buyers he is working with.

Auction Sites or Distressed Property Listings: Sites like Auction.com or Hubzu sometimes list properties that need work but are in decent locations and within budget.Given your experience with renovations and your budget, exploring these options might get you closer to what you're looking for without having to compromise on property age or potential renovation challenges.

Majority of these properties are distressed and need a significant amount of work which makes them perfect for flippers or a BRRRR strategy. 

So, I decided to drive a nearby neighborhood close to my residence, recently and document addresses of seemingly vacant distressed properties.

Current State: Knowing the neighborhood(s) we target, and having driven them (regularly) I have a pretty decent list of "looks distressed" properties.

However, this must be paired with a dedicated and robust negative keyword strategy to prevent your ads from appearing for keywords that ARE NOT RELEVANT to your investing business.For the sake of this example have a look at this attached picture below:In this picture you can see that this ad shows up on the keyword “House for sale near me…” which is not something a seller would search for (not to mention a distressed seller).

I specialize in off-market distressed real estate.

I’ll prioritize continuing my search for distressed and discounted properties, avoiding those areas you mentioned!