In IL the whole process with license, tests commuting other training, meeting broker, is probably close to 120 hours minimum. 

However, if the current owner of record does appear and does claim an interest in the property, then the party who has been paying the taxes would need to either provide the bankruptcy judgement as proof of their interest, or make a claim of adverse possession (that is assuming they can meet the legal requirements for adverse possession).  

My future is in my control so I thought I'd finally reach out and introduce myself and share my goals, with hopes I'll meet others with similar goals or who have input on those.

We have the money, and meet all the prerequisites for getting an FHA loan.

I’m hosting a meet up this Wednesday night at 7:30 pm.

You may check out the nearby members and network at https://www.biggerpockets.com/meet, it will help you a lot to find partners that can help you out in investing.

I have around 10 years left in military before I intend to hang up the hat, so our goal is to replace my income before I retire (but hopefully we can do a lot more than that.)I look forward to being more active on here, and hopefully meeting some fellow investors near Fayetteville! 

Also, would like to meet a group of like minded individuals in the area.

If you aren't finding them on MLS, try different methods to find off-market deals:- Tell everyone you meet what you are looking for- Drive neighborhoods you are interested in and look for neglected or abandoned properties.

My business partner and I have built what we think is an amazing team on the ground, but we'd love to connect and meet more people that invest and offer real estate services here.