I wanted to avoid having to hang my license for 2 years while I'm there and instead already have an active license once I move.

My hang up is that he's not local.

Doug has a point that any seller can become motivated over time, however, it doesn't hurt to start with the low hanging fruit when "motivated sellers" are used as a marketing tool on certain listings.

Free and pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it.

So first, decide if you are serious about making a go of real estate, and then when you have achieved stability, set up meetings in the neighborhood and teach people how to save money and deal with their finances so they can buy a home and hang onto it.

We were actually hanging out with family members that had been foreclosed on right before leaving for the house. 

Get some help on it for this tax season and you’ll get the hang of it for next time.

@Chai Jonn Join and network at the state LL association, and hang out here, listen to a podcasts and become familiar with the basic math-1 percent rule etc.

Make sure its a good enough deal that you can either move it or are willing to close on it so that you do not leave the seller hanging..

Do the simple stuff your self - hang fixtures, landscape, hang blinds, replace door hardware, etc.