You are competing with a lot of experienced investors so if you win the auction at $6,800, it is probably sign something is wrong that you don't see.Picking up on your "first rodeo" metaphor, this is a little like getting on an bucking bronco in an effort to learn horseback riding.

You could also do horseback riding, mountain biking, etc-more adventure holidays.

As a matter of fact, the Scythians in the bible times covered themselves in tats, including their women, something they did to appear "scary and vicious" because both men/women fought in battle on horseback and used scare tactics like this to keep them from even having to go to war.

I now feel that I can use real estate to get the financial freedom to do all the expensive things I want (horseback riding, traveling, etc).

Skydiving, White Water Rafting, Horseback Riding.

Even Paul Revere, on horseback, could be considered media.

"Significantly less" is rather fluid, but I've found that a 5% to 7% haircut on a short sale scenario vs a foreclosure scenario (according to my own horseback calculations) gets approved.

How "commercial" she may be by  selling a few eggs or a cow or teaching horseback riding will be determined by IRS regulations, "being in the business" of something rather than a hobby type enterprise.

I don't think it's there yet and I hope they can rein it in, but it is hard to put the horse back in the barn!