I been lurking on BPs for some time reading the expert blogs and various forums, so I thought it was about time to finally become a member.

You really need boots on the ground.I personally would not invest in property that is not in my metro area that I could go by on a regular basis, much less in a different country, but I know that there are plenty of people on this blog who have done it successfully.

In a web based society, what is the economic justification for the middleman when the seller can contact the buyer directly?

I would be happy to assist you and contact the buyers I am most familiar with to make the deal happen for you I also have a web site with a great deal of information for you as well.

In my area I find a lot of 6-flats/6-plexes that do not have central air, despite the fact that it is a feature which is highly attractive for prospective tenants.When I try to search the web, including BP, it seems that almost no one talks about putting in the money and effort to install central air in these units.

I stumbled onto Bigger Pockets by reading the blog of a local real estate investor.

I tried Craigslist and Hubzu ( very weak web site in my opinion)..

let's connect first time buyer have a lot of options but you need to learn the game and have a plan.And yes the government is not there to help.. is like banks they are there to give you debt no help...You need to do reseach and learn your options.And the fact you are here in this web site is a great starting point.

Check out this blog post by Brandon Turnerhttp://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/11/30/paynearme/

She's done a number of write-ups for the BP blog on direct mail marketing and wholesaling.