I am now again strongly considering it since I am going to be moving from VA to Miami in March and I feel this would be an opportunity to commit to something different.

Hey Jeff, I'm a former license tax professional, Im not taking on any new clients but I can give you a recommendation if you private message me.  

I am looking to find a strategy that is also helpful to clients who are being foreclosed on by the bank.

@Jeremy Geyer I would strongly suggest you establishing a Corporate Entity such as a S Corp or a LLC.

If they don't commit... it becomes Non-Refundable, and I keep it to compensate Clients for lost marketing (I let any future incoming leads know that the property is in "backup" status).

We now partner with a wholesaler that looks at the property, inside and out and does the rehab for us and split the profit when the property sells, we have a strong relationship that works well for us and we are happy with the results.  

I then mailed off my yellow letter campaign to the owners and I received a phone call from a listing agent that was not pleased with me sending a letter to her client.

You would be surprised at how many people out there that have a strong passion for real estate and would love to have someone under their wing.

Hi all,  wondering you thoughts on a question I've run up against with a couple clients and have been pondering myself in our changing markets.  

Guessing you're desirous to turn your Pittsburg dirt into profits, I think you're on the right track though will suggest strongly that you yourself or someone very knowledgable that you can trust and manage babysits the process down to keys in hand, as I assure you, dealing with contractors and all entities along the developer's path takes an entirely whole new layer of skin and nerve.