The CA owner paid $540k in 2006, put about $100k into the property (and it still had a lot of issues) before handing the keys back to the bank.

This is a key skill you will want to develop if you wanna play in the rehab market.

Time = money so offering cash for keys is essential for us.

They know I'm looking for properties on and off the MLS, and I've told them several times I'll list with them for resale, solely based on their reputation in town, and my COI (Circle of Influence).

You own the key to the development.

This is your chance to be brought inside, the "keys to the kingdom" so to say.

I think you hit one key point there - you built up a relationship with them over the boom.

It was VERY scarey building state of the art machines but I truly loved what I was doing and that was the key to it all for me.

Sometimes when they leave, they leave behind a key with a neighbor or "hidden" under a rock, floormat, etc.On one REO I visited after it had the front door re-keyed, the keys to the back door were left in the mailbox!

The all others is critical and covers everyone known or unknown to reside in the property.This way someone living in their cannot say the eviction says so and so but not me so you can't make me leave.Front and back lock sets cost me 28 dollars for the set with deadbolt and we put those on the second we finish with the writ or the tenant voluntarily hands over the keys and it is vacant without filing eviction.We do this because sometimes even if tenants leave on their own they have an extra key they don't give and then when where they move to doesn't work out or have enough storage they start putting junk back into the apartment they vacated or try to squat there one day and then another place another day.Sometimes in apartments tenants will hop from one apartment where they are evicted to staying with the unit next door that is paying.After awhile say a week or so the good deed wears off and that tenant wants the people gone from their unit.Was the power in the husbands name??