And who is to say that when you locate that GREAT DEAL that you will be the winning bidder? 

Remember you win in this game when you BUY the property.

If you want to compare the ROI for business cards vs time spent at open houses vs spending money on an Acura vs keeping the family minivan, then all i can say is you will be spending a lot of time worrying about things that won't put a dime in your pocket.  

(While we're making wishes, why don't I throw a winning lotto ticket in there).

I am fairly new to the real estate world and I continue to see neighborhoods being rated on a report card scale while reading on BP.

I invest in tax deed properties in Ohio, which has a slightly unusual system in that if you 'win' a property at auction, you only have to pay a deposit on the day (usually around 10%), and the full amount is not due until the sale is confirmed by the court (ohio is a judicial state), which is usually a few weeks later.This is sort of like having a property 'under contract', when you would normally go off and try to get funding for the rehab / a buyer etc.

Our letters seem to really stand out from just a generic post card.

Since he is also contributing financially, it could be a win win situation for both of you.  

They brought in a copy of a service dog card where one said said service dog with picture of dog and the other side had a Q&A section about service animals.

My experience has been that the borrow needs to find a financial institution in their home country with whom they have a relationship, if the investor does not have a green card.