@Alan F.Every market will react differently depending on the the supply an demand and the economic drivers in that local economy.

If you don't already have cash buyers in the area (I am one myself) I would recommend joining facebook groups and going to local meetups to start networking with buyers.

In my locality, persons are recruited to serve as testers for landlord racial discrimination by the local Fair Housing enforcement agency.

Has anyone used an affiliate marketing strategy to refresh their property, create unique experiences and provide local products to their guests? 

I personally won't be doing them here in MD, but some people specialize in acquiring those types of properties and I would strongly suggest you to attend local meet ups and try to speak with someone who had done it successfully and never got burned.

If subject-to solves their problem you will likely get it accepted.Find a local RE attorney that does subject-to contracts and have a chat with him. 

If you're local to Colorado Springs we have great meet up you can come to and learn a ton on real estate.

Even facebook might have some good local groups for you.

That said, there are good opportunities in every market and the skill is in recognizing them and/or find those local experts/teams to help find and take advantage of those opportunities.

A couple of my regular residential local agent friends in the SF Bay Area shared they didn't know much about where to find these.