With that said, if you can negotiate with the seller because of them being distressed, it is possible you can buy them before they go to auction.Anytime you have to do a lot of work to get something purchased, you will be able to save quite a bit due to that work. 

For example, one property was in a distressed market where comparable properties have seen a ~8% decline in average rents over the last 18 months (the period since completing renovation project).

This is always tricky as people heading towards foreclosure are getting reached out to from several people and are in distress, but good luck.

Ii am looking for guidelines to get off-market, foreclosure, distressed properties in wake county or within 60 minutes of travel. please throw some light and guide me.

Also you can acquire a Class C thatś  distressed and add value.

My Mom bought a distressed REO from her bank back in 2019.

I've been investing for 15+ years and have a reasonably strong track record of personally acquiring and rehabbing 100+ distressed single-family homes. 

If you are pursuing distressed homeowners -- "We Buy Houses" is a turn off for them. 

Aloha @Ruben Valladolid Jr -  we are a community of Flippers and Wholesalers. focusing on off Market Distressed Properties in SoCal (San Diego to Los Angeles).   

Picking up the property in distress and fixing it up offers an opportunity to get some, most, or all of your capital back at the refi table.Here is a very simple deal to play out how it works.