It was a little embarrassing and it stalled the deal.I then found a mortgage-specific lender who only required NCIP-backed policy which was significantly cheaper.

Simply sounds like to me the sellers know how to work the system.If you had to move today for a short sale you received no benefit for and then clean the place and then move somewhere else and pay deposits and first months rent it's doubtful the seller has this money.So they have most likely told their agent if we get money to move we will do the short sale but NO if not.Other times the sellers have no intention of selling but list the property to appease the lender to give them more months of free rent not paying the mortgage and then accept and offer to get the lender to give them even more time on top of that to close it.The seller then creates roadblocks to stall the sale.From their perspective they can milk it through foreclosure and wait even a few more months for eviction and get cash for keys.So if they get 3 months more free rent at 1,500 a pop and 5k cash for keys that is almost a 10k benefit for them by NOT doing a short sale.I haven't worked in the residential short sale side for over 3 years.How investors use to handle this and I don't know if they still do it today but they would buy some of the sellers junk for inflated prices with a personal property bill of sale.This got the sellers some cash out of the deal to move.This wasn't illegal years ago but processes and rules have been added since then so don't know if it can be used today.

Do you want to buy few run down fourplexes, and stall out, or do you want to have extraordinary success?

As I understand it, some of that casino revenue is partly used to subsidize the local horse racing tracks that have been experiencing a decline in their revenue. 

@Corey Dutton  those states all have basically the longest foreclosure process. so lots of shawdow inventory.. and vegas had many people lawyering up stalling off the process.

I would only buy to flip if the property had enough land for horses or has historical significance/character.  

The truck has a 460 motor and is great for pulling trailers of shingles, my horses, etc. 

the horse is dead. 

If you are looking for a realtor to make dozens of offers daily in hopes you can virtually wholesale, that's a horse of a different color!

All the Kings horses and all the Kings men can make a seller sell that doesn't want to or a buyer buy that doesn't want to.