Needs a new roof, floor in some spots are higher than others,  gutters, and I have already replaced the exterior doors.

As @Jay Hinrichs said most of these scams are super easy to spot if you just think about it or take some time to learn how banks and lenders operate. 

The west side has some great beaches and surf spots to enjoy as well. 

Nobody intends on using it on the front end of the deal, but then they realize they can't find a buyer or the buyer won't pay what they are asking and pretty quickly it turns into an easy way out of the deal leaving the homeowner in a worse spot than before potentially.  

My sweat spot with note investing is buying 2nd non-performing mortgage notes on properties with over 150k FMV.

I don't know if the developers there are getting O-Zone benefits, but that has been about as hot a development spot in Raleigh for the past few years.

We've been doing the landlord game for years now, and what everyone else has said is pretty spot-on.

I need the money to stay liquid for when I reach that point of knowing how to spot a deal.

It is easy to spot a genuine, good person.

It all depends on how much time you're investing, your base level of comfort coming into the process, and what your ultimate goals are.I think you need to be comfortable enough to quickly analyze a property and understand where the blind spots are.