My guess is the work needed to get it up and running properly, will be significantly more than the purchase price.

@Cody DeLongAt the amount you mentioned, you might not be too bad off going with a 0% interest credit card.

Just make sure that you are staying out of legal trouble with the signs :) A free and easy option is to market via Craigslist, or even BackPages too, by making ads stating that you are looking for distressed houses.Pay someone place business cards, door hangers, etc around the area you're looking.Many, many options, just be creative!

But while having grown up in similar areas,.I did not have the proper knowledge or protocols to deal with the tenant base...and so I lost money on a number of those investments.

It list the owners and you can send them a post card bc most times their address is listed. 

If you have a net worth to protect, I would just work with a proper asset protection attorney to discuss what you need to do.

EDIT: To clarify, have your agent schedule a showing and go through the proper steps to go in vacant houses, don't just "go into vacant houses"

Is it a good idea to buy them lunch for the week, in the form of a gift card?

I have SFHs and a few small apartment complexes, but this would be a first for me.Quick run-down:45 lots, with no room to expand18 full - 15 POH and 3 paying just lot rentPublic Utilities, proper zoning, paved streetsSmall town, around 45 minutes from any sizable town; around ~2,500 residents that are mostly blue collar, lower incomeI believe lot rent should be around $250-300 per spot once full and stabilizedCurrent asking price is around $200k, with expenses running around 35-40% of gross incomeMy initial plan would be to give all POH to the current tenants if they agree to re-sign lot leases and update all utilities and other facilities as necessary in order be prepared for additional homes being moved in.  

@Colin Youn You might want to read these: How to Effectively Conduct Joint Venture Agreements as a Real Estate Investorhow-do-i-properly-construct-a-purchase-with-a-partnership591376-create-an-llc-for-first-partnership-best-way-to-do-so526244-taking-on-partner-s-and-limiting-our-liabilitesPrepare your partnership with these questions first:questions-for-capital-partners/real-estate-partnership-questions/questions-ask-investment-partners/If you decide to proceed, I think you should have an LLC formed going in a limited partnership with your(s) partner(s) LLC.