I was surprised because they portray it as such an elusive program/opportunity. 

I do not make such offers often and am surprised when someone does not make use of the offer.  

I'm surprised the properties haven't been seized yet. 

I feel like there are no formal "development" education or training resources available and existing developers are reluctant to meet for coffee or provide guidance (which is so surprising to me given the lack of supply.

EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

Hello Laura,I have actively purchased land that I identified for the last 10+ years.The easiest way to find out if the land is for sale is to talk to the owner directly.You can use tools such as Whitepages.com surprisingly they have over 90% of people's cell numbers.If you can't get the owner on the phone, I would send them a letter asking them if they want to sell, I have seen other people use actual contract offers that they send out to the owner trying to purchase the property.I would not share my concept unless its some sort of Charity that you are either seeking a partner or donation for.I haven't used PropStream, However one really good tool is called Land Glide, its and app on your phone, and you can look at the parcel makes in real time, and also see the owner info and for each parcel.Hope this helps,Dustin 

I am a little surprised this hasn't been fully settled by the courts at this point.

While I am surprised at that, I also think it is the proper way to view real estate.I always go back to my first vacation rental purchase as an example:  In 2005, I bought a beautiful, 2-acre creek-side cabin in Cosby (near Gatlinburg) for $240,000. 

I don't remember the exact figure, but what surprised us was how similar their cost came to the stick built home we chose.  

So don’t be surprised whoever you check out if you end up with a citizens policy.