Off topic, but thought it funny that you might have a temporary assignment out of the area, while we might be temporarily moving to RI (Newport, although my brother's family lived in Narraganset until 4 years ago so visited there frequently) for about a year for my husband's work.

But I am going to be on them like white on rice - basically get double the rent in security deposit or get co-signatures from a parent or two, and visit three times a year.

While a letter would be good for an introduction (such as probate, out of town owners , and private note holders) I follow-up with a phone call no more than four days later, or visit if local. 

I just visited a Habitat for Humanity outlet store that sold used and some new materials for rehabs, you might take a look.

,In my opinion, and based upon almost 50 years of experience, comps are completely unreliable when used to estimate investment value or the property.To learn the history of the property and confirm your suspicions, visit the county government offices, such as the planning department.It is not recommended to assume anything when investing.

I like that a lot.Under each Heading (ie "Behind on Payments"), when you visit that page you have a phone number, but I would recommend putting a form for somebody to enter their information.If you use www.MailChimp.com then you can create forms and add people into your mailing listsDefinitely should throw a call to action on almost every page"Behind on Payments?

Are you willing to physically visit those markets? 

I visit the north end of Chicago every few months and there are a lot of cool buildings that can look pretty amazing once the right rehabber gets a hold of them.

I originally visited this property in February, made the offer within 30 days, but it was contingent on certain repairs and a new Certificate of Occupancy (hence the 6 months between offer and closing).  

A title agent visited our local meetup and said that, to cover all bases, you would want to do a double closing.