That said, should i have any questions about my policy and ways to improve it, they are very responsive and helpfully from that standpoint. 

One strategy that I like (and is certainly open to suggestions for improvement) is to prescreen the tenants on the phone with some criteria (ensuring it is the same for everyone) and only set up walk through if the prospects pass that initial screening.  

I do not know if it is best to buy small homes or units and rent out, buy a property and flip it (I know nothing about home improvement) or what.

We're a values based organization and our mission it "to improve lives through real estate" and we do not do anything that would cause us to violate our mission or values.

Your strategy will be different if you are dealing with an investor who is looking to move on to another opportunity versus if the seller is going through a divorce.  

These include the cost of any improvements having a useful life of more than 1 year.Rehabilitation expenses also increase basis.

How many ads for rentals are there on craigslist now versus a year ago?

It looks like after repairs and improvements you will still have few hundred on a positive side.

I would suggest purchasing a great deal versus any old opportunity.Avoid individuals who are over charging for their properties and maybe consider the Virginia / Indiana or Ohio markets. 

Hey Anthony,A lot of investors that scour Craigslist for deals usually search for a couple of keywords to locate potential deals versus reading through the endless listings that are posted each day.