Hello, my name is Jeremy, and I am a new real estate investor and property manager, with a growing presence in the industry.

I rented a 4-bed house in Royal Oak, then got 3 roommates that I charged each 30% of the rent, so they covered most of my  rent.You can do the same if you buy a house:1) More rooms the better, if renting to fellow college students.2) Can YOU live in the basement?

What is the best way to find and approach people who are not necessarily selling at the moment and make them consider a sale?

Most serious and qualified tenants are searching on the major 3rd party platforms you mentioned + realtor.com, redfin, and a few others.Apartments.com & homes.com are owned by the same company and may offer some additional marketing options.Another strategy to consider here is social media - video marketing.

I am putting it up on Facebook, Craigslist, etc. but is there anything else a newbie can utilize that you have found success with?

I see so many people say they are using schedule C and they are not providing substantial services.This post should be referenced in the future when this question keeps coming up multiple times per year.

Here are a few suggestions on how you can maximize the wealth of information available: Check out the blogs and podcasts, or take advantage of the search feature (magnifying glass).

Welcome to TN, the water is warm. 

They could positive cashflow and i believe there should be good rental demand from student population but i am not sure about the scope of appreciation in the area.

There are lots of stated and no ratio type of mortgage loans out there but it will always come down to what are you willing to pay