Forclosehouston.com does seem to be the one stop shop for getting the list of properties up to 3 weeks prior to auction day. 

My GF and I will begin shopping for our first mortgage ever next week.

I'm out shopping on the conventional side now.

i would definitely listen to podcast 42 , very smart guy they are talking to.

@David DachteraThe property rents for about $950, but Im already putting  about $3,000 into the house on this turnover without this door.This is a smart idea but Im not sure how to make it work with this example. 

I know shopping around is key to get the best rate, but I was just wondering if anyone else had any recommendations on the best approach to take when speaking with lenders/good questions to ask when going through that process.

I like the back-out clause (10% of the expected price, or something to that effect)@Sean Cole- I thought the premise of that show was that Chip/Jo were basically a one stop shop for their clients, from purchase to sell and everything in between.

I recommend you shop around for some management companies in Rochester and see if they have a lot of experience in the area you want to invest and dealing with out of state investors.

Is it smart to spend the money on creating another living space and what would it do to the resale value of the home?  

I drive the streets of Palmdle/Lancaster everyday showing houses, shopping, going to home inspections, and appraisals.