Zach,I believe @Brian Burke said it best but I will also add to that in brief fashion.

However, I'd imagine that you have to market to find "great deals" you can't really do it in a passive fashion, etc.  

Debt in depreciating liabilities - cars, shiny things, fancy clothes, fashion items, etc.

Good old fashioned hob nobbing.

Maybe I am old fashioned though, but I still think nothing beats being able to directly speak or sit with the person who did the diligence on the deal.

Hey Scott - I dunno... call me old-fashioned, but I just am not a fan of the short sale / foreclosure approach.The house was renting for $795.

May not be the case, it may just be good old fashioned trespassing.

I think that could almost appear predatory if you're selling lots of land in this fashion without an attorney. 

@Ryan@Ryan Phillips - for calculating the ARV probably THE most accurate way is to have access to the MLS - either via yourself if you are a real estate agent or by hooking up with an agent in some fashion (family member an agent?

They can be cash or jewelry from a safe deposit box, stocks, dormant bank accounts, surplus funds from foreclosures (in NJ there is only unclaimed property/surplus funds from judicial-mortgage foreclosures NOT tax foreclosures).