And I do know of a website for Regions Bank where they list some of their REOs before they go on the MLS.  

It IS hard to do that in many regions of the United States - but in DFW its very doable

I was just wondering if there has ever been thought to creating forums specifically for particular states or regions.

I bring this up, as you can leverage this appraisal to lower the price, because unless your in a hot market with cash buyers, and people who are seeking creative investment strategies, the seller may very well feel as if they either sell at market price, or continue to hold on, until the market, in their region increases in value.

Portfolio lenders (smaller local/regional banks) have less stringent requirements, but their terms are typically not quite as good (higher interest rates, shorter amortization). 

We bought them though a regional building supplier we use called Kent.We installed an L-shaped kitchen with 90" of cabinets on the short (sink) wall and 192" on the long wall.  

The local to regional banks is where you can make inroads.

Every area is different, so you need to find out what works for you and in your region.

I understand there are a lot of different paths in real estate investing and I am still in the stage of deciding on a niche and strategy…as well as whether or not this is the right business for me.I understand that real estate investing is not ‘get rich quick’ as many gurus market, but I am curious about the amount of time that needs to be invested and length of time to achieve ‘success’- I do understand that this varies based on capital to invest, region, effort, goals, etc.Here is a hypothetical path I would consider:Buy and hold strategy purchasing 2-4 unit multifamily properties at 20% below cost, investing $40k/year leveraging $160k of property.

Please recommend a flexible (legal, of course) escrow/title company in the Monroe County/Rochester, NY region.