I think that you should concentrate more on meeting people and forget the mailings.

A well-described summary goes a long way.Lenders’ major areas of concentration are direct-industry experience and verifiable-equity infusions.

The problem is when there is a large concentration of mold in a certain area.

This spells opportunity.If still none, you can move outward of your market radius in concentric circles.

Here's concentration of distressed properties with the darker the red the higher the concentration: What's great about this data is that you aren't relying upon a gut feeling or hearsay to determine what your next move should be.

I enjoy the forums but I am looking for a more concentrated read and get me a bit deeper into this subject area.

@Kevin Keene I would just concentrate on recent comps to estimate ARV.I am still very much learning myself... figuring out the mentality and steps, but still working on taking as much action as I should.  

Elisabeth,I like your optimism, but if I were you, I would concentrate on a cheap deal "very" close to home.

Concentrate on learning your market in order to understand where/what a deal looks like. 

Concentrate on the markets you know.