notice the "$XX,XXX"...i think mike is located in Ohio.you might be able to make an $XX,XXX offer - but if you're located in say, Long Island NY - you're offer will have to be $XXX,XXX for starters...also - if you're in a place where the market was very good, sellers (about 95% of them) will be expecting A LOT more than what you'll be willing to buy it for.talking to the owners in person is definitely a good way - like mike said - once you've established the ballpark price you'll pay - otherwise, letters and driving to houses is a waste of your time, gas and ultimately - money - cuz it all breaks down to money either way.in my experience - letters of intent are a waste of time, especially if you're sending them to real estate agents.

Also expect that your early decisions might need to be adjusted or changed as time progresses.You really need to consider if you expect the website to attract people or if you will be using other marketing to drive people there for info.See if you can get some input from Josh as he has a web background that exceeds the BP site.John Corey

Anyway my lil problem here is that most of those properties are about an hour drive in any direction from where i live (i have this duplex in a very central location that i live in and rent the upstairs, not anywhere near beeing cash flow positive if i didnt have as much equity in it).

Currently, because of drive times, and market realities, we schedule showings at specific, published, times, and for most properties we get good traffic and rent in two to three showings.

I recently had to quit my job due to distance (I was driving to Milwaukee every day from Rockford, IL).

Was it a drive by appraisal?

The shortest one i had accept was from a smaller bank that had already ordered a drive by bpo.

Hence future seller might be more prone to believe you and let you drive the deal.John Corey

Are there areas within driving distance that appeal to you and are more affordible then the one you are presently in?

Hi everybodyI'm usually a investor in income producing commercial real estate nationwide and I'm thinking to do some REO's in my driving distance for a very good price reduction, In NY i think its impossible to find good deals, so i will like to hear from someone in NJ if we can get some VERY good REO deals in NJ, in good areas or even in Newark (not Irvington i have two buildings there and its vacant for almost two years after putting a lot of money in the bldgs) I tryed to look some older listings but i wasn't able to find what I'm looking, only the same things many times and from the same posters with different namesIf you have any direct source for such deals, (I can buy in bulk if needed to get a good deal) please let me know.ThanksJoe