What I wrote above does not create an attorney/client relationship between us.

Somewhere in the small print should be words to the effect: "testimonials are sponsored, and may not represent typical results", or some other disclaimer which is then supposed to put the author/s back in the "honest corner". ie.

I would recommend forming a relationship with tax professional who can advise and work with your clients.

You having a second lien of $200k has no effect on bidding or paying for your bid price.....no, you don’t get credit for it in any way.

i'm looking for the forum's advice on the most efficient/effective way of weeding out properties. i'll be living in the property for at least a year. while i live there, i'll be living in it (so property can't be a complete rehab), fixing or improving the property, and then either flipping or renting out the property. i've looked at about 18 properties the past 3 weekends (i just started 3 weeks ago). the 18 properties were chosen based on 2 broad criteria: 1) based on pictures, description, and google street view, choose properties close to the metra (in illinois), in a location with a great high school (>=8 score), and in nice(r) neighborhood.2) look at zillow for an idea on property values in the neighborhood so that i'm not buying one of the most expensive houses in the neighborhood. if i feel the house i'm looking at is somewhat undervalued because it needs work and there's some room for me to flip, then house passes.this criteria has helped me weed out 100's of properties, but takes me a bit of time.i'm curious, is this a good start or are there other ways that the full time/professional investors use?

if you paid for appraisal a year ago you should have some relationship going on there, so feel free to ask.Another option is to talk to 2-3 local brokers and ask for them for Broker opinion. 

Discounted rent to pay by the 5th is effectively an illegal late fee assessed on the 6th. 

You can meet people at your local REIA, but most likely they will offer hard money loans (and not private) being that they don't really know you personally.Network with people and build relationships and a good reputation.

Can it be done without their service, is it an efficient and effective method to collect data "real time" in one place with enough value to warrant the monthly fee?

If so how do you articulate your request to avoid the reverse effect?