Yes, I think we have enough strikes to decline based on lack of sufficient income history. 

I reside in Houston and have been attending sheriff tax sales on the courthouse steps for a while. I've been doing my research and normally narrow down my potential buys to about 5 properties. It seems time and t...

So, if I strike a deal to "buy" the property, how would I approach the homeowner?

Strike 'em from the record.Once I get my 2015 taxes done, I'll set up some appointments with lenders to see how much I can get qualified for.  

Keep the option strike price at $250K within a year.

Your situation strikes me as one where you'd be well served with a low deposit owner-occupier (eg.

(wow I look just like this when I am on mine..)....and something SUPER obvious strikes you.. you jump off your throne..you run to the computer.. standing there bend over, as you can not sit down for obvious reasons...and you apply your SEO grand idea...and the next morning...

Or a button which lets me strike up a conversation (which therefore implies I am already connected).A few times someone posted something interesting but it would be off topic to comment in the thread.

The dealer strikes a deal with that bank and as soon as he takes possession he sells the car to his known buyer.

None of them wish to be holding on to the real estate, so you can strike some fantastic deals inlcluding help with financing.Real estate agents can help you find an REO much quicker as they have the information first and many times sooner than the market as the banks do pass most properties over to a broker to sell, so most agents know of these long before they are available.