I do spend time there @Chris Watson, but I wrote a specific algorithm a years ago the scrubs the internet for data I input.

Expense your electric, water, sewer, internet, shovel, water hose, etc. 

Actually the forum post has a title, and it has an OP, and typically on the internet we respect the OP and what the purpose of the thread was for.  

The Internet was in it's infancy and there was no such thing as Google.

Find a rockstar agent - through BiggerPockets, Meetups, internet search and referrals you can find a realtor that regularly work with off-market distressed property.

Well you will see my responses in bold that show the facts vs some guy sitting on the internet thinking he/she knows what they are talking about.

Keep in mind you are responsible for the utilities, internet, upkeep of furniture, bed sheets, etc.

To increase your expertise, make use of internet forums, seminars, podcasts, and books.

About a year ago I heard rumor of a casino that was to be built in the Victorville or Barstow area.

you will likely still have to come out of pocket on your mortgage payment, which is fine.please do not buy a random property thousands of miles away in a market you don't know anything about because someone on the Internet told you to.