I was able to approach some people I knew (similar to you approaching your friend) and identify a need (that their friends and family wished to have a property to rent for 3-4 months in the winter season).

I've identified a 10 unit property with 100% occupancy & the opportunity to increase rents to market rate as well as in place management.

How to use Loopnet.com BUT NOT pay for their service.Loopnet has great information, but for the parttime investor, like me, I have found a GOOGLE WORK AROUND that allows me to use their site for free.When I become rich multimillionaire, I'll subscribe to their astronomical monthly rate... until them, I don't feel bad USING Loopnet for free1) Goto Loopnet.com and do your search (I prefer the ADVANCED SEARCH)2) Once you've got the results of your search, identify the property you want to "see" - (Loopnet lets you see a handful for free, then denies you and expects you to pay.)3) COPY PASTE the street address, city, state of the property.

Assuming that pattern continues, wouldn't you say that's a significant cyclical milestone to keep an eye out for?

It was during this experience together that we identified a real need for a professional, compassionate, and all-cash solution to help seniors sell their home quickly and allow them to move into a supportive residential care environment as needed.We're just starting out and have already learned a ton; and we'd like to network with other wholesalers, experienced home flippers, and buy & hold investors to help us be better at this.Thanks for reading!

There is a definite pattern here.

I've also found a targeted approach to identifying deals is to drive around your farm area (where you want to invest) and look for properties that are distressed (empty, signs in the yard, tall grass, broken windows, no cars in drive, papers on door, etc.).  

Most important three things to do to get out there and identify opportunities - Network, Network & More Networking.

Keep in mind, you have 45 days to identify several properties and 180 days to close. 

After some research, I was able to identify the owner..