There's really no incentive for the seller or their agent to submit the best offer to the bank, as long as they feel the offer they submit will get the job done.A year ago I had a neighbor list their home as a short sale. 

We love San Diego but the price of housing and our mortgage payment is by far our biggest expense, so we are searching for a new home-base (maybe somewhere in the greater Denver/Fort Collins/Longmont/Colorado Springs area, maybe Salt Lake area, but we are considering everything still).

I assume your living close to the campus.I'd recommend buying the biggest home you can afford.

One of the biggest mistakes I've seen is from investors that can't respond to the initial costs because of the lack in liquid funds.

Fire Dept is within 1 mile, Police Dept 1 mile, and the biggest park in the city is literally 30 feet away. 

It is written in the lease that we will do these checks.The biggest problem we have ever found is extra people and pets living there that were not on the lease. 

Right now my biggest focus is on creating valuable content that visitors will truly benefit from, and buying ads that drive people to that content.

I know Carl Paladino did and he's the second biggest property owner in the state.

If it is owner occupied (tell her not to move), in government backed loans, the bank is often willing to offer a financial incentive to the Seller to cooperate with a short sale.  

@Anthony Fleming one of the biggest issues I've found trying to buy from wholesalers using assignments is that they don't educate the seller very well and that lack of communication ends up destroying the deal.Be sure you let the seller know that you will be bringing "your partners" and/or contractors through the home for quick inspections.