Take me with a grain of salt, but I just wanted to chime in and try to be helpful.Best wishes!

For example last month i was charged $250 to put salt on the steps and sidewalks. 

The loan is kind of like buying salt or sugar; they are just commodities and brand name doesn't make much difference.

Focus on your own game plan and take everything with a grain of salt.

I *DO NOT* have any experience with discussing distressed properties, so maybe take my 2 cents with multiple grains of salt...I DO, however, have experience with cold calling and door knocking for insurance sales, and I am a 10 year veteran 911 operator who has experience with communicating delicately!

I am traveling to Arkansas from Salt Lake City at the end of August to look at some properties.

Again, I'm new to a lot of this as well, take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Take it with a grain of salt...

Im in Salt Lake City.

My second spreadsheet is mostly pulled from census data/trulia/zillow (so I take the numbers with a grain of salt) but it lists on the X axis the zipcodes as well as the county as a whole.On the Y axis it lists: average listing price, median sale price (90 day period), median sale price versus last year, price per square foot, price per square foot versus last year, median rent per month, vacancy rate, annual property growth value, number of rentals on the market for that month, median rent versus last year, median rent divided by 1BD/2BD/3BD etc etc, median age, median household income, school districts, single residents, college educated percentage, percent home owners, population growth etc (there's more but I feel this is sufficient to get the point)3.)