Quote from @Jed Butikofer: Unfortunately, it takes money to make money.With high prices and high mortgage rates, cash flow is difficult to find and we may not see a return to the 2018 market for a while.

Investors in these type deals look for say 12 - 14% annualized return.  

The market does offer lower priced investment opportunities and higher cashflow returns, with ongoing revitalization projects like the DORA boosting appreciation potential.

I don’t want anything in return—just hoping to network, make new friends, and maybe be of help or value to you in any way.If you're up for grabbing a quick lunch, coffee, or beer (on me!)

They are able to See a COC return within weeks of the down payment, when the unit rents. 

I feel I'm on the low end, but my COC return a year later is roughly 14%.

Secondly, the homeowner would need to cooperate as she would need to submit a bunch of paperwork including income statements, tax returns, etc. for the Short Sale application to show that she is insolvent.  

The return would be $50K profit per deal in 5 months.

Getting a loan to payoff another loan with a lower interest rate doesn't make any sense. we do private lending and can get double digits returns consistently.

And how did you figure out your returns ahead of time on this type of deal?