Do you focus on the big projects first (i.e. kitchen) or prefer to cover the easier tasks right away, such as painting the bedroom?

If an area has a days on market average 60 or less a clean property priced correctly should move fast.

It is much easier to find a desperate seller than to try to turn a retail sale into a deal.I would suggest joining your local REIA (real estate investors association) and making friends with the SUCCESSFUL investors in your area.

The whole place is trashed and will take some time and SE to just clean up.

The areas are clean, not blighted like most of Motor City, and most of the renters are upper middle class engineers, cops and teachers.

If it were me, I would focus on clean deeds prior to courthouse sales where I could negoitate with current owners.

Coordination of cleaning/repairs between quick turnarounds may be problematic.

Sell the houses and make a clean break.No idea how to pull off the pre-selling.Jon

I took some time and money to get the place cleaned up for rental and later that next year, prepped for sale.

Buying to flip is still an option if you get it cheap enough to truly wholesale to a long term holder, but we are now mostly buying cheap, then doing lease options and helping buyers develop a long term strategy to clean their credit up and save some down money.