I know of a few investors who have bought properties by calling the local banks directly, establishing an informal relationship, and buying direct.6-Non-performing notes prior to auction-- I personally have had success, and know of other investors who have been able to contact the banks PRIOR  to the foreclosure sale, make an offer, and get it accepted.  

Since I use BP almost exclusively on an iPad, I'm off the grid until it works on an iPad again!

Raising money is mutually exclusive idea to buying a note or even making a note.  

For example, I look for properties I can rent out with some rehab; a flipper who plans to do a total rehab would not care much that the current kitchen/bath can be acceptable for a rental, they would gut to studs anyway and replace.

1) I  DO NOT accept anyone else's report but my own.

I thought the deal was dead, but the offer was actually accepted about a week later.

My first deal was my best friend and he wouldn't even sign the contract to work exclusively with me because I hadn't taken the class on those contracts and what they are for, how they work etc.

Probably the fact that they thinking out the hundreds of deals that have to write at 65% of Arv and the fact most investors are flipping contracts and failing to close on the occasional deal they do get accepted

Find, buy as residence and live in, fix, then after a year rent out... that's acceptable for government money.

Why would they accept that?