Hey @Adam Bartomeo,Not unlike many who have posted in this forum, I agree that the low barrier to entry is the underlying cause for poor performance.

You can work with a reputable turn key property provider, or very knowledgeable local real estate agent who also is an investor.Note that the great majority of real estate agents do not work well with investors because they simply don't understand investors and their needs; and they are usually limited to properties on their MLS ( which often is not the source for the best deals).Having invested myself out of state since 2003 I've come to learn what to look for and can talk about this extensively.  

The short sale addendum has language that warns all parties of the need to get creditor approval and the fact that the sale may not go through and that if it does that it could take an extensive amount of time to do so.I'm finding that less and less short sales are being approved these days.

If he is purely a lender, he will be paid via interest income and his tax breaks will come from his lending business, not the performance of the property.

@Joe Villeneuve I will be extensively rehabbing both buildings, in the attempt to re position with increased rents.

This greatly reduces risk on the principal invested because, at worst, the lender owns the property and will look to maximize value by selling the property or selling the non-performing loan.

Do note investors want to buy notes like these or just non performing notes at a discount?

My rehab is in the home stretch so I finally feel like I have enough time to really explore bigger pockets properly.

Could cut another 3 to 4 inches out above,,more than that would require extensive floor wall reno and a notch out of dining room floor/wall. 

I have seen several fires from people trying to draw their main power from an extension cord.