That said take everything with a grain of salt and one POV.

You probably also already have friends in the area, so you can use them for some basic info (although take it with a grain of salt; they're consumers, not investors).Do you already own where you're currently living?

I would imagine any REO agent worth his salt would know half a dozen of these stories.

But any title examine worth his salt will see through that and again request the trust agreement when the deed is reviewed and may go further to request beneficiaries (not that they have the right/power to do so..but if you don't produce- they won't insure.. ) I'm still hoping someone will jump in here and direct me to an Oregon title company that will insure sales of property conveyed from trustee to a 3rd party arm's length buyer.

You'll also find some recent sales close by and details of how the properties compare to the subject property.Take those "Zestimates" and Zillow's foreclosure estimates with a VERY large grain of salt.

I postulated that if they lived on illegal live aboard boats in the yacht club, they'd have shorter commutes, higher quality of life, and would pocket an extra $3500/mo.A lot of Bay Area couples have done exactly that and (at least in the 90's) were flipping houses in Salt Lake in their spare time.Utah is different -- there's no need to live on a boat here!

@Bryan WatsonI haven't done any deals yet, so take whatever I say with a grain of salt.

I am located in the Murray area in Salt Lake Valley.

It's been a few years since I lived in Arizona...so take this with a grain of salt...we really got a lot of mileage out of attending AZREIA meetings. 

@Joshua McGinnis I am a newbie so please take my answers with a grain of "newbie salt" But....