I own a free and clear home that I want to renovate and sell.

I own a free and clear home that I want to renovate and sell.

That to me just made it clear that our deal wasn’t a priority so I Andy going to go back for repeat business.

Does anyone have any good strategies for finding properties that are owned free and clear in a local market?

I don't think this is cut and dry but i typically try and see what might need to be done to occupy it, how strong the market is and what do you have to do to get a deal done because you don't want to pass an opportunity for paying a little on the upside but also don't want to overpay on something that has some question marks on it as well ( plus this is work you have to do which it would be good to be compensated for ) 

Preferably within 10 miles of my house to cut down on travel time.

Stop nickel and diming your expense cuts, and cut the big expense items, not the small ones! 

I am not 100% clear on NY, but you cannot form an LLC at that age.

However, I don't know anyone that will cut a check by monday for a million dollars. ;-) They have no clue who you are and aren't going to risk losing a cool million.

I just closed on the selling of my first house yesterday, here are the stats: Bought: March 30th, 2015Sold: November 14th, 2017Purchase Price: $57,500Selling Price: $77,119My Cut: $20,534.12I bought the house when I was 20, lived in it the entire time, and did nothing to it as far as adding value (example: remodeling).