I found this process so compelling and realized that, even having never done it before, I was more sophisticated than the young agent we hired.  

I tend to work with a core group of trades which I've assembled - though I regularly shop jobs to ensure everyone's pencils remain sharp.

My primary goal is buy and hold (with property management) for long term wealth building.Congratulations -- You just summarized my core real estate investing philosophy!

If a bank, you can try to compel the lender to provide forebearance (interest only payments for awhile), by convincing them that otherwise foreclosure is around the corner.

remember, their goal is to sell quickly and make the property look compelling to you.

You might be able to buy them locally.Hollow core doors, if not too badly damaged, may have water inside them.

If you have any questions about real estate or the construction process, outside of buying and selling property, do not hesitate to contact me, as I have some great resources I can draw upon from my five years with Core Contractors Inc.

Having some core metrics can make it easier to filter out markets.

There are so many routes that you could take in this industry and I think if you can take your time and get a basic understanding of the core principals, you'll be able to choose a route best suited for your goals and in line with your skill set. 

I'm open to other areas too, but just noticed looking around that Edmond was a place that seed like I could get a good deal on a nice house under $200k that I won't have to fix up or worry about as much as a 100 yr old house in the urban core.