In addition to what you see in this thread, I'd recommend adding a fat safety cushion to your budget for all unplanned expenses. 

Do I have to simply scrape together a few deals anyway I can in order to build that cash base before I seriously consider a large direct mail campaign? 

Consequently I've been devouring everything I can get my hands on and tearing through all the podcasts I can in order to educate myself as quickly as possible. 

Go buy a dozen of those cheap little blank yard signs (the ones with the wire H frame work fine), a big fat tipped sharpie, and a lock box.

Network with as many wholesalers as you can in your market.

That might be a fat chance answer but it's what you could use if he'll give it to you. 

I try to teach and mentor as many people as I can in the community because the more others grow, the more I grow.

I'm trying to soak up as much info as I possibly can! In

But to tack a $10k fee onto a deal that's already thin (using the 70% guideline) just smacks of greed (or stupidity, or a fundamental misunderstanding of what an investor buyer is looking for).Pigs get fat; hogs get slaughtered.

Put the rest away in the bank and now I'm in real estate school and I am also interested in learning as much as I can in real estate investing.