Hi Ned,I  am a newcomer, gravitated towards REI after surfing the web discovering tax liens and tax deeds.  

My question is, how do I get a hold of the list before homes are forced into auction?

Knowledge is power, but when you are physically in the situation, you are forced to act and need to find a way to make it work!

https://www.bizjournals.com/au...Wonder what will happen if the fed is forced to increase interest rates dramatically to curb off effects of inflation. 

Theres a reason they choose to live in certain areas.We also have Travis Air Force base which provide good tenants.

Adding in a light reno will force appreciation even higher.

Can't really force a seller to give you a chance to be reviewed for a short sale.

I then read 3 books on REI and rehabs (don't enjoy reading but I forced my self to try). 

I'm actually in the exact same boat as I'm looking at 5+ units in the Bay Area and still in the early stages.Regarding it being too simple - I think this perspective is a great one on the forced appreciation model within a seller's market: Trust that there are others who are trying to do exactly what you are, and that gets factored into people bidding up the purchase price and the compressed cap rates.

Think slow rolling hills instead of peaks and valley's.As for C class properties I have some C class properties I have made a killing on.