I think some of them the way they do it would get in trouble with their state department of RE for improper advertising.. but that's their issue. so to that end if your working with a marketing company simply ask them to refer you to the state they are licensed in and what their license number is and make sure its current and they are working for a reputable broker.. you want that E and O protection if something go very wrong.. unlicensed folks other than getting them in trouble will offer you no recourse monetarily.

If you are not sure how to do this, find a reputable investor in your area who does deals like this.Lease-Option - Find a seller willing to lease you their home while also giving you the option to purchase the home from them at a future date (maybe a year or two from now).

I am looking for some some quotes from some reputable GCs.

Now you do have to be very selective in choosing your provider, and make sure they are reputable, doing nice rehabs in good areas, and working with, or have in house, property management that excels.Finally there is another route you haven't considered, and one which I am currently favoring in my own investment strategies.  

You need to find out what abilities you can bring to the table that will be of value to the investor and then pitch your involvement in exchange for the opportunity to learn.If you have a little capital, you may be able to find a reputable, successful, investor and buy a slice of a project (flip or rental) in exchange for the opportunity to learn.If you have a moderate amount of capital and a little experience, you may be able to partner with one or two others - or attract a financial partner - and purchase a small rental property.  

I've not used them myself, but understand that they have a great reputation.- Charlie

However, at some point if you want to be a legitimate business owner/operator and not just another small-time landlord then you'll need to create a set of rules that work well for you and stick with them.While you may not want to get a bad rap with other prospective tenants, I would also suggest you don't want to get a reputation for being a pushover.I would suggest sticking to the terms of the lease.  

One of the most important assets you can ever have is your reputation, it's hard to establish and it can be lost over one transaction for a long, long time, it can put you out of business!

Depends on the reputation of the property, and how much you're going to change it, but its not hard or expensive.  

Hello,I'm looking for a reputable and experience real estate contact in the Pittsburgh area to assist with identifying a foreclosure or investment properties.