Any valuable tips on getting over the fear of your first flip being a massive failure? 

Have equity built up already in existing property.We always do a cost of failure.  

The judge might not have access to the papers uploaded so be ready and research by calling the court to find out the backup.You have to accept the failure that a rich kid going there for a surf holiday was NEVER going to mow a lawn, he has no idea how to start the mower, this part is a FAIL on your screening process.

In fact, the rate of failure for many local owners in certain areas is also very high.

I tend to agree with Brian.From what I have seen and heard over the years the TIC model had a very high failure rate.

For finding deals, there's of course the traditional mailers, cold calls, email spam, and I suspect that these will always have to be included to some extent, but what are some more untraditional methods you guys have used (success or failure!)?

Don't think that one particular out of state market will shoot you to success or abject failure.

So my wife and I purchased a camp on a canal. We bought it with the intent  to rent as an airbnb. We created our LLC, did some renovations and fully furnished it. We have used it with my parents as a fishing camp for ...

Robert Shiller said the market failures of the recession were foretold in the economic literature, but nobody looked at the data.

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