Based on my experience, it’s often not worth the time and expense because appeals frequently lead to no change in the tax assessment.

The entire agent model would perish because most of the time off-market listings are new leads that need to be prepared before hitting the market.

Networking with local real estate meetups in Raleigh or surrounding areas could also help you find leads directly from other investors.

You can learn to do this independently or get a rockstar REALTOR to lead the way.

So if you search for specific terms like “real estate for sale” or something similar, you should discover a few solid leads that you never would have found otherwise.All in all, using the search feature is a great way to discover other connections to valuable real estate as well.

These are what-ifs and usually lead to anxiety for a lot of people.

Enforcing the "waste" clause (neglect or destruction of part of the asset backing the note will simply lead to foreclosure anyway). 

   #4 Is great and I bet this one can lead to many successful closed deals. 

I know a broker who spends like 20k - 30k per year in buying leads, paying for blast emails, buying lists of names of investors, etc.I like to meet people on the personal level first, I feel like people are way more responsive if at first I help them by answering questions, or offering advice, provide them with incite, etc.Most people do not know what they are getting into in those first deals, which is why we hear so many nightmare stories. 

I only hope my own posts recounting what my hyperlocal experiences have been like here in Pittsburgh, the self-styled "Paris of Appalachia," do not in any way encourage people to follow the OP's lead.