A lot of counties are on line and the auctions for many of them are run by the company at this website:  https://www.tax-sale.info/ there used to be a 10 percent premium to buy on line and so after my first auction, I always attend in person. 

In this case, you would organize several investors to make one loan against one property with each of their names listed as the lenders on the note, along with their percent participation.

If you don't feel like searching, you can still get a 10-20 percent discount on eBay.

I spoke with another buddy who mentioned updating to QUARTZ since it's much less porous than granite and will last a lifetime.. however, he deals with stylish/hi-end units where as this one of mine is moreso middle/entry-high level unit, so the tenant probably doesn't care about Quartz' stylish looks.. has Quartz come down in price the same manner as granite in recent years due to over-popularity (thanks HGTV!)?

How much commission percent would they get?

If you plant the seed you have two choices 1) grow the plant and harvest more seeds which you can plant and then eat as well as harvest and plant more seeds OR 2) grow the plant and eat it and be out of seeds with little to no means to have any in the future.If you want more than just a couple of properties in your lifetime then perhaps a long review of your options would be the most prudent choice to make if you have access to 200-250k.

Over 50 percent of the Residential sales there are manufactured, a large percentage of those being 55+.

i would just spend it on nonsense. with more money that i can spend in a lifetime (assuming I am the sole winner of $1B), investing wouldn't make sense for me. more to lose than to gain. 

Also, make sure you consider and keep track of the lifetime value, as the carpet may need to be replaced anyways (thus don't charge the tenant). - Hair clogged - depends on how hands-on you are.

Behavioral studies show that about 65 to 70 percent of human motivation comes from avoiding negative consequences, while only 30 to 35 percent comes from seeking positive outcomes.