Using materials with a higher density than water, composites, metal, plastics etc. etc. you can either do something and hope it floats, or you can find the necessary equations and figure out first the weight of it all, cross reference that with the water displacement weight, and calculate FIRST whether the boat will float or not.Everyone that does DMM is basically building boats this first method.EVERYONE that does DMM is  shoots arrows in the dark, and HOPE some will stick.

I understand if you buy it as a portfolio or packaged but if you buying 1-2 at a time you should never reach 10 mortgages unless you buy them in a short span or your BRRRR didn't execute.. 

Does $70/sq ft include materials only?  

Do the research, take the pictures and do a walk-through video, disclose the material defects, get the bids, run the numbers and present your case. 

Other conferences offer some educational materials that are helpful to a complete newbie, but they are mostly for networking.

They have great educational material and fantastic networking.

I've also sent my promo material to the H.R. dept of many companies that do work in my town. 

Home offices should be depreciated over 39 years, not 27.5 years.Alternatively you can take the $5/sq ft safe harbor if the home office is less than 300 sq ft (most are), but I've found that the actual expenses method almost always produces a materially higher home office deduction and is generally the way to go if the taxpayer is okay with 1250 gain from depreciation later down the road.

I dry their houses out or remove mold damaged and fire damaged materials, then we work together to restore their homes to almost brand new.

That just isn't going to happen in any scenario.It doesn't matter if it ends up being a potential short sale either because, referring back to the first paragraph, you aren't going to take a property "subject to" with an active bankruptcy.Bank can call a note for any material breach of the covenants of the loan, if they aren't cured.