Can you save more or get it so you are at 20% down and therefore don't have to pay PMI?

I know HUD only contributes $1,500 towards a junior lien settlement, but if the junior lien holder does not want to settle would HUD allow the buyer  to pay off the junior lien out of their own pocket?

The original owner has a ton of exemptions so she only pays $400/ year on property taxes.

The first thing a scam artist will do is build a fancy looking website and pay for some reviews. 

65% of your success is the list, not the letter.I totally disagree with Jonathan about saying you will not lowball.You will, and then you look stupid.Unless you are a realtor and can offer listing solutions, I would say you will NOT pay full retail so you don't get all the calls of worthless leads that want full retail.The only reason to do this is if you are a rookie and want practice talking to people.Easier and cheaper practice is to go to craigslist or facebook marketplace and call landlords that are renting and ask them to buy.Your letter is fine, if you find a motivated seller, they will call.

I’ve recently found a part time hustle that pays the same as the full time W-2 for about half the hours and I work when it’s convenient to me.

You'll want each unit to pay their own bill unless you are planning to implement an MTR/STR strategy in which case occupants tends to not put utilities into your their name and you are charging a much large fee each month.

After much legal advice, I understand I can't force a tenant in CA to leave (no-fault evictions are illegal here) unless they are arrested on the property, stop paying rent, or if you have a family member move in.

Now you need to figure out how to find deals and pay for them.

@Daniel Mendez As much as possible.If we do a holding agreement to take the unit off the market we try to get them to pay the first month rent and any other move in costs other than the security deposit, which they pay at lease signing.