People are doing it, so presumably it works.FWIW, I invested in Japan for a few years, but lack of rent growth, lack of appreciation, concerns about natural disasters, and just general lack of confidence in the J market led me to shift focus only to the US.

I've got 1 STR in Longmont and a handful of clients/investor friends around the Northern CO region running the STR/MTR model.

Some companies hand-scrub your lists to find the best contact information.Utilize a company that has flexible pricing options and non high volume minimums to meet your needs.

I'm just trying to get an idea of what other people have run into using them.

That's an ENOURMOUS amount of trust/money to put into a stranger's hands.

Association fees are getting out of hand. 

I live in Matthews and would love to meet people knowledgeable on tax deeds (and liens in other states) to learn.

I worked for companies that had full time people that did aspects of this.  

What do most people do in this situation?

The real agents/brokers have a license and would not jeopardize their license to make a quick buck like some of the people shooting you quick offers.