Hello Lisa, I'd recommend reaching out directly to the planning department.

Despite the guru fed “misinformation” about all these under market price deals, they are actually very rare and require (1) the investor recognizing value that the seller and the rest of the market misses or (2) a seller with a need for an immediate sale and a buyer with the CASH immediately available to conclude a very quick closing usually forgoing inspections, financing, and other contingencies. 

Any advice or recommendations of where to locate groups seeking similar goals would be greatly appreciated!

I highly recommend listing to @Dave Meyer's most recent on the market podcast! 

Has anyone had experience using this financing, or can recommend a similar financing alternative without the overhead of joining an inner circle?

A few tips I’d recommend as you get started:Build a solid buyer’s list early on.

Is there a company you recommend.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

There is also a huge amount of strategic and legal expertise across many states in getting non-performing notes to “re-perform” and be sold, perhaps to someone like you.Performing loans don’t require anywhere near the same amount of work or expertise but typically involve a lot more capital per loan.

May require some patience, but trust me, this stuff is not easy for some people to follow...