So I talked to my first lead today. 

@Arun GokhaleI am also new to syndication deals and have found one of the best resources thus far in getting started being the information that @Michael Blank puts out on BP (just search his name and his articles will populate) and also check out his website http://www.themichaelblank.com/ He does a great job of walking through all of the steps from analyzing deals, networking, finding leads and closing deals.

That's a birddog handing me a lead.  

i have a bunch of old leads from when i was trying to wholesale homes.  

Also, filing homestead on a property you do not actually live in can be considered Fraud if the intent is there and can lead to hefty fines most likely.

Your offers have to be more fair, and unfair offers for yourself can lead to complaints to the real estate commission.Really the idea of building up ill will and the threat of complaints to the real estate commission are going to follow most parts of the transaction if you are licensed.

That potentially can lead to a higher vacancy rate so should that be considered as a negative sign?

I have some leads on vacant properties with absentee owners and I'm trying to come up with good copy that will get a response.  

Make sure you know exactly what these would be for your area (some states and counties have their own transfer fees and taxes) so you don't lead your seller astray about how they'll end up after the sale. 

It took me months to compile industry and local market data, and a strategy to be successful, but the end result was that my few months of diligence lead me to gaining knowledge that people who have been in the same industry for years didn't have.