., tax lien) is sold at auction, are charged 18% per annum.197.432    Sale of tax certificates for unpaid taxes.(6) Each certificate shall be awarded to the person who will pay the taxes, interest, costs, and charges and will demand the lowest rate of interest, not in excess of the maximum rate of interest allowed by this chapter. [...]Translation: Florida is a bid-down interest rate state. 

Purchased various sheriff auctions, short sale, and just low balling.

(Not looking for insurance sales pitch).

Working with an experienced property management company with an in-house sales team is a strong recommendation! 

Hey BPI had a motivated Seller contact me recently in response to an ad I posted on Craigslist and she is very motivated but she owes 50k on the property and the median sales price for homes recently sold in that area is only around 66k.

In the case of a roof, etc. you could renegotiate a higher sales price (amend the contract) to cover the cost of the upgrade (if the market will bear the increase).

I did it more for the knowledge, and so I can make purchases/sales on my own.

For instance if you have agreed on a sales price of $200,000....see then if the seller is willing to adjust and go for a deal of $206,000 with a $6,000 seller subsidy.

Jazz - make the sale contingent upon rent being paid or them moving out.MichaelIf you have an attorney, and you should have, check with him/her.

Realistically you could whole sale this deal for $100K to a seasoned investor.