By non-listed I mean deals I match to a buyer before they can even hit the mls. 

Dion DePaoli, this brings up an interesting distinction.

Do you guys make an accounting distinction between non-paying and vacant?

The software recommends buyers for your deal by matching your deal parameters to the buyers investment criteria.

I can't speak for other rehabbers, but I like to ensure that my properties are a little nicer (and have some appraisal-enhancing features) versus the other properties in the area.On the rare occasions I'll get an opinion of value, the goal is to determine not what the after-repair value is, but to determine what I should be doing to the property to get the most bang for my buck in terms of resale and appraisal value.I'll sit down with my appraiser, and he'll tell me what the property is worth if I do a typical renovation to match the neighborhood, and then he'll make recommendations on what I can do to increase the resale value and the appraisal value at retail, as I don't want the resale value to be limited by the appraised value.My appraiser is more of an adviser on what upgrades I should do, in addition to just giving me his opinion of value for different levels of rehab.If you want to help investors, that's what you should strive to do...not just do a standard BPO that may or may not reflect what the property will look like and that doesn't help the investor determine what renovations should and should not be undertaken.You can value the home in good condition and compare it with like comparables from around the area.

Boarding up the home:Secure the unit ASAP.Measure up the windows and bring the measurements to depot/lowes and have them cut the boardsConsider painting boards to match the color of the exterior to minimize blightBring a REAL camera.

The distinction is subtle but can save a lot of time sending letters and making phone calls to people who are not even in a position to negotiate.

If you want to do it the easy way, you can match names out of the obituaries like David said to the people who actually own properties in your area.Another way is to take a trip down to the County Clerk's Office and check out public records.

The bank is trying to verify that the offer matches reality.

This is separate and distinct process.