Also consider contacting houses that look vacant, simply door knocking in a neighborhood that you are interested in and talking to the homeowners in a genuine way, For Sale By Owners is another potential, using an App like Nextdoor or Facebook pages/groups related to local real estate and just telling the group what you are looking for, contractors also know about houses coming on the market soon and so do property management companies, and finally garage sales are a good way to find off-market properties as people prepare to sell.To Your Success!

She is transforming an existing structure into a creative studio space, seems cool, and I want her to succeed. 

because I was paying my bird-dogs vs having them pay me and just promise how someday, maybe just maybe they will bring the grand-slam of a deal and then I will be paying them oh-so much $$$$$ Seriously, from those buying into this I gotta understand how your mind works, no insult meant, I am genuinely intrigued and baffled because if it's a good deal you can go to any number of investors and get $, not a one will charge you for the opportunity to present them deal. 

Most of the easy "lipstick on a pig" transformations are gone - you're often looking at more serious rehabs to make the numbers work.That said, we do have some advantages: strong rental market (lots of students, young professionals), still relatively affordable deals, and good appreciation potential in many neighborhoods.

Not sure about delusional but it's not unusual for us to have to do a genuine drain & fill several times a month during high seasons if we've rented to large groups with kids.

OK lets analyze this post.I still fail to see the value in that post... not one single person genuinely interested in learning how to wholesale would find any value in that post.Don't you agree?

Fast forward, my brother and I co-founded a property management company in Boston, where we handle everything from tenants to transformations.

They seem honest and genuine, and have seen tremendous growth the last few years.

However, in emergencies or cases involving health and safety, we would attempt to contact the owner first and, if unsuccessful, proceed with the repair as outlined in the contract.Regarding the hot water heater, do you know if it genuinely needed to be replaced?

I’m genuinely curious about this perspective.I meant this would affect Bryon City, Cosby, Cherokee, Blue Ridge, etc (Cabin/Mountain Markets in the Area).