Did you check your spam/trash folders, sometimes our messages may end up there? 

You can work from the top down or bottom up, same animal, but assuming you work off an ARV will be a gamble.

When you exit a market for a duration (in your case 3 years), you are taking a gamble that market does not get far worse for purchases.  

Meaning also do something to get enough money in your pocket to buy this cash, so that the purchase is not your last penny, or you're not gambling 100 percent of what you have on these deals because as you know sometimes they do not work out.Just my 2 cents.

For finding deals, there's of course the traditional mailers, cold calls, email spam, and I suspect that these will always have to be included to some extent, but what are some more untraditional methods you guys have used (success or failure!)?

Some of my longest standing clients came from that exact situation - innocently hiring a "good deal" that spammed their email, but then drove their rankings into the ground. 

In that case, it's getting close to gambling instead of investing.I'm really sorry to be the bearer of bad news here and I'm wishing you all the best! 

I feel as if this investment might be a gamble with this open permit, considering it most likely has to pass inspections before the permit is closed.

If unaffordable (compared to median income) it is a foolish gamble and a bad decision financially. people call this a lifestyle choice.If you want to spend on the family, You may want to buy a second home with a nice garden for 100-200k in the middle of nowhere for week ends.

Of course, you can also just gamble and go with the cheapest PMC, but you'll usually get exactly what you pay for.