Im looking for creative ways to accelerate my mortgage.     

Your going to learn the secrets * they don’t want you to know* creative stuff nobody thought about with zero money out of your pocket .

I found that the properties, at least in my neck of the woods, are to expensive to cash flow properly without getting real creative. 

Real people giving real input and advise.Also, make sure you have a good funding source and cash to work with, although you can work this business with very little cash, but it's much more work and requires more creativity in securing and financing properties.

His logic is likely: if every year I predict a crash will occur, eventually I'll get it right and be called a genius.

Numbers give some idea, but being that there are so many factors (location, stability of job market, tenant selection (no matter what screening system you have, there is a degree of luck here), unforeseen maintenance expenses,and so on...in the end, if you're creative and keep learning, you can make "almost" any deal (within reason) a positive (financial and educational) experience.

So let me ask all of you, what is your favorite or most creative marketing technique?

I personally have nothing to hide, so am happy to divulge to my seller exactly what I do, and most certainly advise our intentions both practically and financially.My opening line is usually, "Hi, I'm calling from New Zealand" that's usually enough to get the conversation started - unfair advantage - you bet . . . . but us Kiwi's are a creative bunch!

I love DIY, home improvement, and pretty much creativity.

From what I can see, you don't have much money to launch your business, which is fine but it means you have to be much more creative than people with excess capital.