One of the key messages to "E-Myth" and many such books is the idea that rather than simply make a job for yourself - DIY from rehab to rental and management, for example - you should build a business which can run and produce income even when you're away - on vacation, laid up from an illness or accident, busy finding new investments / income opportunities, ... it should even pass to your heirs upon your demise without a hiccup!

There are applications out there that review web activity and produce lists of people who are strongly considering selling homes but haven't listed yet.

This generates interest and produces a lot of calls.

Any chemicals produced there?

Short answer- Commerical value is normally  based on the Net income a property can produce,   which means increasing the rent and/or significantly reducing recurring expenses.  

In my opinion, the most effective way to get deal flow is to connect with all the high producing apartment brokers in the area, explain your criteria, keep in touch often, and when they bring you a deal, be ready to jump on it.

I am focused on the buy and hold method as it has produced the most cash flow for me.

If you are the Wholesaler/Middleman then you would produce the deposit, earnest money and you would need to fund the purchase with either a Hard Money Lender, Private Investor. 

Hello friends,I'm looking at a 4-plex in the Houston area. it looks like i found one for $300,000 that produces a healthy amount of rent, even after the HOA. 

The outskirts of Chicago as well as the neighboring suburbs have proven to produce cashflowing properties provided you buy at the right price.