Christian,Refinance is basically referred to when someone is able to get acquire financing for a property that substitutes how they are currently financing the purchase.For example,If I have a current mortgage and am able to secure better mortgage terms with say another bank, that's a refinance.If I finance a property myself by paying cash for it, and then secure financing from a lender, that's a refinance.People refer to "cash-out" refinance when they are able to finance at least 100% of the costs with a lender.For example, if  I buy a property for $50k, put $50k into fixing it, and then go to a lender who appraises it fixed for $150k, that lender would most likely give me a loan of say 30 years, 5%, at 80% Loan to Appraised Value.

It's always best in these situations to make sure you create a 'paper trail' of the communications between you and the tenant, as it may be admissible to the court, depending on the your state's specific statutes and court rules, which I am unfamiliar with.This answer is not a substitute for professional legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship, nor is it a solicitation to offer legal advice.

Josue,There is no substitute for experience, especially in real estate.

At times I question myself about being too harsh because my experience is other's in the area don't take this more professional approach, so I'm glad to hear this feedback from others because my experience thus far has shown that much like when I was a substitute teacher, you have to lay down the laws and expect them to act like children. 

These properties are sold as is and the substitute trustee will not allow any inspection.  

once said: Never let planning substitute for real, hard work.

How long does it usually take to receive the substitute deed from a trustee sale in the state of Texas?

There is no substitute for being physically present with experienced investors.I'm always happy to help point you in the right direction for resources or tools on BiggerPockets that can help you with your REI goals!

. - your blog is great by the way), there is no substitute for actually doing it. 

Basically, I scour for Assignments of Deeds and Substitute Trustee Deeds, then run those through a little system that pulls the owner's info, a photo, map links, plus links to deeds and titles at the register.