I've had excellent luck on Facebook, posting an ad in a local "Sale" page.

For tracking each campaign I use excel however any call backs, appointments, warm/hot leads, contracts and deals all get entered into my CRM so I can notate and follow up appropriately. 

Many of my real estate clients have also come from work relationships.

My plan is to get the list into excel, filter by target area and find out assessed values for properties using the assessors' website.

@Julia Shevchenko I agree and will most likely help him with this if he wishes to as we continue our relationship, i have brought up the 1031 idea. we'll see where this goes!

Cash for keys, good relationships, etc, are all helpful, but the eviction process is there for a reason.

I've seen fancy excel analysis spreadsheets/models that churn out pure crap and make a legitimate, cashflowing investment look like a money pit that would push an owner into bankruptcy after a few months.

I really need a mentor (who could partner with me or introduce me to someone who can),so I'm trying to build those relationships now.

Redfin is actually an excellent source for info on the house - mortgage numbers, taxes, insurance, etc.

If you decide to go the mortgage broker way and are successful, you will develop a solid relationship as well.