Good luck and let me know if you have any questions. 

Knowing the laws ahead of time and the process is very important but just know that lateness's are part of the game we play.

They rehab and flip to a lot of CA investors from what I know, but also big PM in the area.

I know there is a way to get a pre-foreclosure list, but I'm always interested to know where the people that are selling.

We didn't know the siding needed to be replaced because it was just recently replaced by the owner before selling it to us, but probably with bad quality paint/siding. 

Does anyone know of a money market mutual fund or a fixed income fund that could be used for this purpose within my Equity Trust IRA?

Unfortunately, many owners don't even know what to look for!

I would just make sure to call the city and let them know your plans in full detail to make sure that you can do it.  

First step would be to work with a good investor agent, second step would be getting preapproved so you know what's within your budget for your debt-to-income ratio, and third step is working with your agent to build out the rest of your time and finding a great investment deal!

I ask because we only buy houses around the southern US (TX,OK,AR,TN) but we're curious to know if more opportunities to buy foreclosures could potentially exist in other markets.