It does sound like you are in a good position to identify properties with deferred maintenance, which is a great target for mailings.

Hey all, I'm reading the book on rental property investments, and I've identified a few people in my circle who are in this business. 

S/he can help guide you through the rest of the process, from identifying a property all the way through closing.

I also would try to get the previous owners rent roll or payment record to try and identify tenants that may be problem-childs or have habits of late payments.

It's possible to assign an identifier to each receipt on their site, but I don't know if their site lets you split receipts. 

The key to being able to identify a good investment is clearly identifying your goals and criteria upfront.

Perhaps a good broker can identify more options for you.

I miss the days from the African King or Nigerian Scam emails those were easy to identify..... 

Hi,I've identified a property (forclosed then failed to sell at auction)  currently owned by Fannie Mae according to the tax records. 

That way you don't even have to identify the 3 like-kind properties and commit to closing on one of those.To give you an idea of what I did:  I sold my condo around the end of June and while I was wrapping up the closing process for that property, I started really looking hard at some properties in the new location.