If another investor buys the tax lien from the state, that investor can make "preservation improvements" and your redemption price will include the VALUE of those preservation improvements (not just the cost to make them.)

I started a property preservation business in Jacksonville.

It is hard to get the person in a large bank.Sometimes there is a sign on the house listing the asset preservation company.

The local listing agent and property preservation company will have to agree that the new damage is actually new, so it's not easy to get away with bogus damage.There are some games you can play with the contract to get more than their 48 hours, but not a ton more time - usually another 2 days max from my experience.  

- Often, one must use at least a portion of the existing foundation to preserve allowable uses/avoidance of certain fees (i.e., impact).As for adding a mobile home to an existing fixed structure, it's not someting I'd personally do.  

Any reason to preserve his "1st time home buyer" status?  

I'd rather spend a little more money to protect, preserve, & improve my long term investment, keep tenants happy, & justify higher rents.

Of course, we always strive for- at minimum - capital preservation, but any substantial appreciation cannot be reliabily predicted in any neighborhood, so it helps to focus on the factors you can get a clear handle on up front.Regarding areas with solid B potential -  Pinson/Trussville are a little more rural but people in AL tend to like being outside the city, so you'll still have plenty of renters.

Being an agent as an investor could easily preserve $10k-20k of capital per flip after commission split.

For the foreclosure exit you would also want to account for basic preservation costs such as re-key and lock box, and interior inspection and valuation.