I think they are a waste of time for actually finding a buyer for that house, but great for the agent drumming up business, and if you are a branded fix and flip company to generate brand/market exposure that you really do buy houses and fix them up nice.All that said, I happened to sell that house on my first, and only open house to a couple who were just starting to look in the area, but had an agent.  

Hello all,I'm a new investor with minimal experience seeking to learn all I can to move  toward my goal of retirement!

My understanding is that if I were to buy a property at the sheriff sale, or even a different type of auction, then these investor groups could swoop in and redeem the property for what I paid, plus minimal expenses.

It also minimizes the "tenant and toilets" issue your father has.Self-disclosure- I buy promissory notes, but also sell out of my portfolio in whole or in part.  

Economical, but a lot of RF noise ... which one of the things we try to minimize.

He got banned for talking about "his company" too much.Most Crowdfunds don't allow DIYers and will frown against it because doing anything with someone new is too risky.There are some models and programs within different crowdfunding portals that are designed for the DIYer and have developed systems to minimize the risk the "newbie" has in a project, so that the Investor is more secure.

Also you can try Thumbtack and HomeAdvisor as well but remember that contractors have to pay for those leads so be serious with your intentions before you throw out requests so you aren't wasting their time and money.

I just don't want to waste someones time if they are expecting me to have a property in contract before contacting them.

If the property is in San Antonio, there are some local people that will do a basic inspection for minimal cost.

I just know that to minimize risk I'm going to have to force appreciation because in 2019 when those rentals are on the market I believe we are going to see the value drop on those multi-family holdings and even if I still have good NOI I don't want to see all my cash equity flushed away.