If you want to be more pro-active - drive your vehicle to that vacancy -Talk to as many neighbors as you can - let them know that you are interested in that property (or others that they may be able to refer you to) some neighbors won't cooperate with you since they may think you are a bill collector.Get the tax ID of the ownershipGo to white pages - search for the ownersPut a notice on the door for the owner to call youCheck to see if it has housing code violationsLiens - see if you can buy the lien and foreclose (or take an option to buy the lien - forecloses on your option)Check to see if it is in Tax Sale - contract the tax sale purchaser to see if you can take assignment of their positionCheck to see if it is in foreclosureMake sure you look at the back of the houses - talk to the neighbor at the rear of the housesFind out if it has been listed - by whom and for how long - call the real estate agent (they are the ones who know how to contract the owner) ask the agent "are you still accepting offers on that property?"

Hello AllI am meeting the end buyer of my whole sale transaction tonight (1st one).

In this case you'd either need to pay enough to pay off the mortgage--in other words, pay full price--or pursue a short sale.  

Don't just target the obvious CL ads, go after the indirect indications that there is a house to sell, such as an estate sale.

David,You don't need to be an agent to learn property sales.

If so I would think treating it like any other real estate sale, complete a correct contract, after you have determined the ARV, rent rates, and if your offer works for you and the other party.In regards to funding, there are most likely options (sorry I know very little on this subject) and this would also be a first step, once you determine that the property will actually work.

For example if you wanted to purchase multi families for cashflow: You could quickly check sales of duplexes/fourplexes etc. in the last 6 months to get a feel for ARV's.

Does anyone have a rec for a spreadsheet that shows the basics of P&L associated with a rental property, but also lets you input hold period and value appreciation assumptions so you can get a full picture of the IRR after a sale?  

You can use sites like Redfin , Trulia , Zillow to look up properties that are for sale and sold prices .

I am absolutely 100% committed to pursuing Real Estate in some capacity or another for a very long time, I am incredibly intrigued by the "no ceiling" aspect of how far you can take this business and I thoroughly enjoy every facet of residential homes from construction to sales to ownership.