If you want to use the contracts above just put an assignment addendum and strike out the non-assignable clauses. 

I sleep well at night with this strategy, but I can’t honestly say it’s not frustrating striking out so frequently.

We've got beautiful hiking throughout the state, access to beaches all along the eastern coast, Boston and NYC are in easy striking distance, a great airport with no traffic (Bradley), mostly wonderful schools, relatively low priced housing in much of the state, decent climate, a mostly liberal and tolerant social climate, and still plenty of corporate employers. 

In my experience, most investors tend to target B or C caliber areas in effort to strike a decent balance between risk, cash flow, and potential future appreciation, but there are investors that operate in each of these asset classes.

Occupancy fraud, straw buyers, mortgage brokers making ninja loans for commission, or the terrible banksters on wall street packaging MBS, etc - when there is no clear victim I would argue that these aforementioned "unethical acts" would be undertaken by the majority of BPers (or the average individual - however you'd like to look at it) if presented the correct situation/opportunity.Scott, on your mention of premeditation, it strikes me that a truly intended OO who, within one week of closing, takes a job offer in another state would encounter no problems in renting the property out.

Inspiration strikes us everytime we visit.

Then comes the list of what is available on MLS, and I won't hear from the agent unless I find a house that strikes my interest from said MLS list.What does a good agent actually do in terms of helping investors find homes?

Any negative cash flow (underwater part) charge a monthly option payment to cover PITI + HOA.Give a strike price - exercise based on a new bank appraisal in 5 years or pay off the existing balance, up to you.

Short of a meteor striking the earth, I'm imagining this predicted expense rate will drop even further.

I have had my eye on a few Homepath properties, waiting to perform a precise strike of them.