To get past that, we either need to cut back on the hyperactives (say limit someone to 10 posts a day) or overwhelm them with so many posts they can't answer them all... this would require a large influx of new people on a pretty regular basis.I understand the desire for activity... from a deal making and networking point of view it's obvious... but on the flip side, what I see as a casual observer is 90+% of questions quickly responded to and thoroughly answered.

I completely agree with the value of boots on the ground, so I plan to invest in the part of town I already know and send an observant friend to investigate any properties that look like a great deal. 

Second observation - unless you're related to the previous owners, you don't really know if he did all that stuff with or without their approval.

I've always been much more drawn to learning through action/observation and am finding myself getting antsy without having any application for everything I am learning. 

What's very odd to me in observing prices is that with the glut of houses that have been pretty well hit hard, and are not appearing to be lived in - why there is not a glut of properties on the market for sale at cheap prices. 

What other specific observations do you have about the area, or neighborhoods that are worthwhile? 

For example, this would probably cause me to change my personal plans, and perhaps directly affect my bottom line, but I would be surprised if there are enough situations just like mine to cause noticeable sweeping changes to a market's home prices, and certainly not in the short term. just my observation.

We just had a tax auction in town earlier this summer and I went to observe, it was very interesting. 

Any observations or thoughts on the subject? 

Not as a buyer or seller but I've observed it taking place numerous times.