That is the source of the answers to your questions.Regrettably you have created the present situation by continuing to communicate with this tenant.

If you're not an experienced negotiator in the real estate world, the seller can walk all over you without you even knowing it happened.Local area: I looked at the map and don't see any detractions or unusual noise sources in the area.However, if you're not familiar with the area, anything west of I-495 and north of I-90 is in the snow belt. 

Then what is really good choice for out of state flips to source good off market deals? 

Brighter lights and lighting features can help too, so can new smart lighting.

The lists you obtain from the courthouse directly will be newer info and you can potentially beat others to the punch by going straight to the source to get the lists...Here are a few articles with some good tips on many of the potential ways you can find motivated sellers:50 Quick Actions To Find Motivated Sellers50 Easy Ways For Real Estate Investors To Find Motivated Sellers37 Ways to Find Motivated SellersLearn how to find truly Motivated Sellers that need to sellHow To Find Motivated Sellers (In 28 Days Or Less)How I Find Motivated Sellers (And Get Them Calling Me).

I like the search features: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search

I keep a spreadsheet and keep a running history of my scores across about 10 different sources.

I like the search features: https://www.biggerpockets.com/searchAlerts can be really helpful too: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts

If you had a source of private lenders, you could do it.

I'd suggest using the search feature in the menu ribbon to find other posts that already have a ton of posts to get a better sense of what people think about that company.