My understanding is that with deflation, people postpone purchases on the expectation that prices will continue to fall, which perpetuates the cycle.

You just have to identify the properties you find desirable and how much you are willing to pay, then hope it actually goes to sale (and isn't postponed or stayed) and then hope you can get the winning bid below your max bid number.

I sat down with them and demonstrated that they could improve the efficiency of the house by over 50% with an 8 - 12 % increase in materials cost or, postpone finishing the basement and actually spend less.  

It's a waste of time (and money) to call, text or mail people that aren't in foreclosure anymore.These third party companies only publish the original foreclosure notice...they don't track cancelations or postponements.

Will it be a quick decision, will it be postponed, etc.  4) if I should get the property, what happens next?

We have not had a unit empty more than a week after having it ready and we set the rent at market rate (for the last 3 new tenants we were barely able to have unit ready by the move in date (actually for one of them we had to postpone move in date by 3 days to have the unit ready)).I get a lot more responses from the Postlets various sites than I do from Craigslist. 

Bank may postpone the same, homeowner bails it out, or declares BK, etc.

Older adults are divorcing more frequently while younger adults are postponing marriage more than previous generations.Both of these factors are positive indicators for the rental economy.Wealth and income gains have not kept up with housing costs.Wealth accumulation models seem to be changing; net worth is shifting from property ownership to defined contribution (DC) plans. 

They have paperwork entitled "Escrow Agreement for Postponed Improvements" to guarantee they will return money after closing that I can have for reserves in my operating account.

I too have found, like Robert Kiyosaki, that the inexperienced, uninformed, and "poor" investors are the ones who are always frightened, stalling, and fumbling for excuses to postpone.