No real estate agent is gonna put that wreck on the market for 300k when it's probably not worth the money she owes on it.I think you should either drop it and find something in better shape for a beginner to handle or bring in a real contractor to inspect the damage and give line by line estimates on the repair costs.I believe you will find you need over 100k in repairs and updating assuming your observations were correct and verifiable.I wouldn't offer her more than 80k for the property as is which would make it a short sale and need 4 to 6 months for the bank to approve it.

Just an observation, wonder if most of them were just full of bs/fishing or what.

Hence I made my observation.

I didn't really have any conversations the first few times, just sat back and listened.Come on out to some of them and observe the conversations.

Also, be observant of what the area is doing.

Proverbs is a book of observations or descriptions, not necessarily prescriptions.  

Just the exposure to the REI environment --- you can learn a lot by observing and listening.  

@Mat Yuriditsky,We manage over 1,000 units in Jefferson County/the Birmingham metro area, and about 10% are occupied by tenants with Section 8 vouchers.We observe that the majority of our Section 8 units are clustered in one of two general areas.

I just want to say based on my unwarranted observation, the chance of running into a good deal in San Diego needs luck and patience.

Just my observation.....