I would suggest that you get the lenders involved before you start knocking things down.Good luck to you!

Time Intensive but Money Non-Intensive: Driving for dollars, door knocking, cold calling, networking (wholesalers, investors, agents, property managers, etc.)Money Intensive but Time Non-Intensive: Direct Mail, Paid Ads on Google, FB, TV, etc

Knock on wood.Just figured I share our experience with you.Thanks,

All in all, REI is somewhat predictable (knocking on wood) and the returns are even better than I'd hoped.Now talk to someone who started pre 2008 and perhaps they won't be all sunshine and daisies.

So while it may not be for me, thats not to say that you couldn't knock it out of the park! 

The icing on the cake was when she couldn't get her car out of the driveway because she had to shovel snow for herself... she came knocking on our door freaking out to my 7 month pregnant wife that this was somehow our fault (i was not home at the time).

From my experience, you can find off-market properties by:(1) creating relationships with realtors to see their pocket-listings (listings that they get and they only circulate to their network, and not advertised publicly)(2) creating relationships with wholesalers and getting on their buyers' lists(3) networking with other investors, who may have a property that they want to sell privately(4) finding the sellers yourself by various methods (knocking on doors, sending out letters to owners, reaching out to for-sale-by-owners, bandit signs, etc, etc)

I did not even start to market the pre foreclosures until about 10 days before the sale and we only door knocked them. 

Remember the 10% of rent collected was when PMs had to knock on doors and actually collect rent. 

Knock on their door and ask if they need help with the snow, if they fit your profile.Financing:  Get it in order.