Open house.

To me, this is just a marketing strategy to get people in the open house.  

If not, maybe reach out to Novad and see if you can open a ticket and get things moved into the short sale dept.

@Tom Keith - Is the Longview group open to others?

I don't see how the gnats would be inside the house unless they are opening windows.

How do I even start to estimate the money needed to get this property in a salable or rentable condition (I am open to both)??

The following is what we can offer:Over $110,000 cash$17,000 in credit line at a home improvement store (thinking about opening another credit card which will probably offer the same line of credit)Our home has around $80,000 in equity.We both have great credit scores.I have a friend who’s a Realtor and has flipped three homes and is now in wholesaling.

The only thing I've heard of is open houses hosted by realtors but even then I'm unsure of how that process works.If any seasoned investors could also comment what to focus on when going through properties for a newbie that would be greatly appreciated!

For the HELOC, I needed to open a checking and savings to become a member.

@Richard Licon some additional nuances to consider: Only track notices, or all foreclosure-related activity as well, such as Opening Bids, Postponements, Cancellations, Winning Bids, New REOs, etc.?