My only hesitation in giving Neal and Cloverleaf Drywall and Construction such a great review is that the rest of you savages will monopolize his time and I won't be able to get work done as quickly in the future! 

So I'd say the seller(s) should consult with an attorney or accountant, but it's possible they may owe much less than 15% or nothing.Also as Account Closed said, seller financing is also often attractive to people who are concerned about taking a big tax hit in one year - instead it's "pay small amounts as you go, over time as you receive the money" and is great for a number of reasons (no or a favorable interest rate for you, no bank BS, build long-term relationships and credibility with future sellers, possibility to discount in future with a payoff offer, etc.).It's worth having in your mental toolbox even if you don't use it on this deal.

We are particularly interested in areas allowing a great lifestyle (good food, spending heaps of time outside, close to the beach, quick and easy access to great cities, etc) such as California, South West of France, Barcelona, etc...We currently own a 2 bedroom apartment (paid cash) close to the beach and the main English schools in Malta.

I initially started by focusing on MF (bc it seems easier & scales more quickly) but I quickly realized a lot of the best metro areas with strong economies mostly only have great deals on SFR, not really on MF.Many of the great MF deals in America are in subpar metro areas (economically speaking).

Does anyone use another strategy or rule to quickly run through deals?

The fees can start adding up quickly.

My attorney said I can spend the money to get it to code then try to sue the sellers to get my money back.I am not attracted to the suing option so I am trying to contact the sellers but they live out of the country.

I'm particularly interested in renovating and doing quick flips.

I suppose it's based on whoever is the most attractive target to sue and get money from.

They are expensive, but a good resource and can usually close quickly (which can be a necessity with many deals).