Scour every home site available and even sites that are not know for home sales, but sales in general - you may be surprised.

Quote from @Chris Seveney: Quote from @Eric Henson: Do you guys ever take the risk of buying a foreclosure at sheriff sale with the previous owner still living in it?

This could include keeping track of the construction holdback.  

Pay to separately meter the utility.

If the software is not simplifying your life or making you more accurate, you shouldn't use it.Software does have extremely helpful features like online payments, marketing syndication (click a button and your property is advertised on multiple sites), electronic document review/signing, maintenance tracking, and owner reports.

At the numbers you are talking about and where the market is heading you could pick up some very high quality NNN national credit tenant properties as commercial continues to recover. 

You’re not getting paid to buy it so it wouldn’t go through your broker but you better make sure you disclose you’re an agent to the homeowner in the contract.

If I got a home equity loan for Property 1 and used the proceeds as downpayment for Property 2 and then got a 2nd loan for the remaining 75% purchase price for Property 2, when I sell Property 2, can I use the Property 1 loan as part of the cost basis for computing Property 2 capital gains?

Hi Andrea, my wife and I own a Short Term Rental in West Michigan so I would be happy to answer any questions you have on how to analyze the property, what you should look for in a property and what questions to ask the county. 

I wish you well in solving the issue.