I pass a house all the time that is a vacant house (starting to fall apart, unkept, notice on window from county, mail piling up, ect.) that would make for an excellent flip in a desirable area.

In a rent-to-own/lease-option scenario, you're working with buyers that typically have bad credit but a desire to own.

For example, if you are looking to connect with other members near you, want to learn from people in a specific area you’d like to invest in, or have a desire to find people interested in certain topics, you could use the search feature here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search/usersI really like the alerts feature that can quickly guide you to current topics that may be of interest: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsThere are a few self-contained guides that you can access here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides

For example, if you are looking to connect with other members near you, want to learn from people in a specific area you’d like to invest in, or have a desire to find people interested in certain topics, you could use the search feature here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search/usersI really like the alerts feature that can quickly guide you to current topics that may be of interest: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsThere are a few self-contained guides that you can access here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides

Hoping to be of some help to those affected by the fires and desire to rebuild but are under-insured. 

@Darius Anderson@Todd Dexheimer and @Brian Burke have both given superb advice.Here's my example that you can maybe learn from:- I spent 2 months researching specific market (demographics, job and population growth, income, crime, desirability of various neighborhoods, rental rates, vacancy rates, etc...) all while analyzing about 100 properties in that city.- I narrowed my search to 15 properties that performed well on paper - I booked 2 days with the real estate agent (who I've been in contact with for the last 2 months) and he arranged viewings for 12 out of 15 of the properties- I booked a hotel and drove out there and we walked through every unit of every property.

Purchase price: $595,000 Cash invested: $193,000 Sale price: $810,000 3/2 1575 sqft single-level home, backing a canyon in desirable neighborhood in Clairemont area of San Diego.

If all these skips are known to be within a certain geographical area (aka your target markets) then that could serve as a sufficient clue in order to build the desired profiles.

The area is less desirable overall, but closer to the large employer in my area.

I would suggest starting as an LP, next hiring a coach (if desired) and then you look to syndicate.