Are there advantages to putting more down, or is it just reducing the risk involved for that property?

NOw on Craigs list you have scammer after scammer.. so I suspect some amount of phone qualifying would be in order.When one is in the sales business.. what is one's time worth.. your time is to sell. if that involves a drive well that's your choice.but basically its Qualify present and close.. has been that way for hundreds of years.when I used buy homes like this  we targeted what we wanted and we door knocked simple as that the only time we went to mail or phone is if they lived in another state..

BiggerPockets has zero involvement with any "summits" coming up, and no events that BiggerPockets is aware of are authorized to use the BiggerPockets brand as part of their marketing.Any events coming up should be considered as you would any other event hosted by other individuals or companies.

Other  programs like Section 8 are more involved and you would not need to participate in that program for your rentals unless you want to, it requires quite a bit of monitoring.

There would be no real estate involved. 

Wow, Multiple Red Flag Warnings!

I have not done any deals yet, but would really like to get involved.

The owners would have to be foreclosed out or otherwise transfer the property to you for you to own it.You could buy the delinquent note, (not the property) then start foreclosure, but if they get current, they remain the owner, and you would be the note holder receiving payments.There are multiple ways to structure the note purchase, but you should seek professional help to do that correctly.

Here are the duties that can be performed according to the FREC:Permissible Activities of an Unlicensed AssistantUnlicensed assistant is defined as support stafffor a real estate corporation or other licensed individuals.Answer the phone and forward callsFill out and submit listings and changes to any multiple listing serviceFollow-up on loan commitments after a contract has been negotiated and generally secure the status reports on the loan progressAssemble documents for closingSecure documents (public information) from courthouse, utility district, etc.Have keys made for company listings, order surveys, termite inspections, home inspections and home warranties with the.licensed employer's approvalWrite ads for approval of the licensee and the supervising broker, and place advertising (newspaper ads, update web sites, etc); prepare flyers and promotionalinformation for approval by licensee and the supervising brokerReceive, record and deposit earnest money, security deposits and advance rentsOnly type the contract forms for approval by licensee and supervising brokerMonitor licenses and personnel filesCompute commission checksPlace signs on propertyOrder items of repair as directed by licenseePrepare flyers and promotional information for approval by licensee and supervising brokerAct as a courier service to deliver documents, pick-up keysPlace routine telephone calls on late rent paymentsSchedule appointments for licensee to show a listed propertyBe at an open house for: o Security pulposeso Hand out materials (brochures)Answer questions conceming a listing from which the answer must be obtained from the licensed employer-approved printed information and is objective innature (not subjective comments)Gather information for a Comparative Market AnalysisGather information for an appraisalHand out objective, written infonnation on a listing or rental

Not only does it make the house stink, but there's a lot of extra labor involved (i.e. washing/scrubbing walls) whenever it's time to repaint.