It's highly competitive, and you'll need to dig up any tittle encumbrances before you jump into the bidding process. 

I almost missed it all myself, were it not a good mine of success that I stumbled on nearly 30 years ago because I was willing to dig further.Are you up to the challenge?

The easiest way i started digging into other markets was just by networking and seeing where other people were investing.

I also suggest going to the county assessor' site and do some digging on the neighboring houses, latest sales, rental histories and such so it'll be easier for a buyer to pull the trigger on your deal.

To be honest, I used to spend more time trying to dig up dirt on people that gave me a bad feeling.

It may be worth that $10k you're looking to part with to instead spend a few days digging and learning the rules so you know for sure.

Is this in an area that is accessible from below or will there be digging into a slab be involved?

I would start by digging a little deeper into getting your name off of that loan.

Just keep digging into different strategies to maximize your leverage and returns. 

I'm looking forward to having the time to dig through the wealth of information on here.