I've pulled multiple absentee owner lists and I always end up mailing someone who has built up a portfolio over the years, but now I want to build a list that specifically targets these people.

I recently started engaging with a company called Equity and Help, they purchased Equistream.

I use a database now and can routinely get to within 5% of actual costs on about any reno project...but again, it takes time.One thought is to interview multiple contractors and get bids. 3-5 bids should show you an appropriate range for the work.

The brokerage fee is very small and needs to be spread to multiple people, this is our agreement Thanks for your reply

NO one returned calls, emails and then I received city violations notice in the beginning of March for 5K for the exteriors condition, emergency boarding of the property (multiple times) and a variety of other issues.  

Find a local agent, PM, etc and buy a property using them.Cons: time intensive at the beginning, multiple groups to vet, no handholding Pros: higher returns, can be instant equity.

Hunter, Gore, Windham and other ski mountains should be a good bet in the winter and now that they are getting more active year-round, that should round out your reservations.The Hudson Valley Wine Trail and the multiple breweries in the HV are drawing people in from all over.

Straight off the MLS vs off-market, finding a seller on your own before it's officially for sale.The MLS is the multiple listing service, where an agent/broker/realtor has been retained by a seller. 

But, I couldn't say with absolutely certainty that the cause was negligence, purposeful, some strange series of coincidences, or just multiple faucet and appliance failures that occurred within hours of each other.

I've heard warnings from Multiple Attorneys about bad practices (co-mingling funds with your personal accounts for example) causing courts to break the veil of the LLC and allow personal lawsuits.