@Kimberly Farrally when it comes to building your buyers list, you'll find mixed reviews here, the easiest thing to do is to just ask the question, as for craigslist you can put an ad on there along the lines of you have discounted properties and then put a phone number (spice this up) to call or a web site if you have one with a forum. you can then blast out one email to all of your buyers, letting them know you have properties. two things you can use to make it easier would be a CRM like podio and a forum like mailchimp, these can be integrated with each other and then when someone signs up on your forum, it will register it in podio. the best thing about BP though is you as long as you have a great deal you can use the marketplace here and there is a vast amount of buyers already here, so make sure you are networking with people here and in your local REI.

My experience with CU ended up being "mixed", at best.

There are lots of houses down there they can be gotten for a song and dance.I lived in the Ranch Club which for the most part is a lot of blue collar workers and military people, mixed with a few white collar and government worker types.

I've finally decided to start utilizing BiggerPockets more in my endeavors after reading so many success stories about BP.That being said, my partner and I recently acquired a mixed use complex in South Chicago near Bishop and 95th.

Mix it up and GoBig!

They are building non-stop in that area be it apartment buildings, office buildings and at least 2 mixed-used buildings.  

Add historically low mortgage interest rates to the mix and we find ourselves in one of the best times to buy I've seen in a long, long time.

So guys, it stands as a mix of answers as to whether I should buy my first property in my area.

THEN, they'll mix in stationery or a self mailing letter (no envelope) or a letter. 

It is on a quiet street with a good mix of OO and student rentals.It is still an hour away from where I live.