The owner had mailed me a typed letter saying he was interested but wanted retail.  

Secondly my office supports the fix and flip rehab projects and I am the "deal finder," there - so much of my day is scouting new MLS and yellow letter/postcard/referral leads we get. 

I feel that sending a letter may not be the best course to take as I don't know if it will end up in the right hands.

I suppose "wait" is a four letter word in real estate investment:) I just meant because this isn't a mainline business and completely a discretionary investment, I need to be extra careful and seek out really good deals.Regarding financing options, again, since this really is going to be a marginal part of my portfolio, I do not want to sign personally if I can help it.

Can I get pre-qualified letters from multiple banks?

I've got a few REI out there that I've taught how to calculate their cash to close and PITI Reserve requirements, and I've taught them how to season funds... they get preapproval letters with my signature already affixed, with purchase price and down payment blank.

Recent Probate Filings - With Real Property <------ Professional letter in the docs section2.

That $10/month budget might be better spent on stamps/mailing a few letters/month, after you do your due diligence @ the court house/online. 

I started with about 200 letters to out of state landlords and a few driving for dollars.  

When I was in that position my lawyer added a contingency that we needed a letter from the tenant stating that there was nothing owed to them that was not in the lease and more importantly nothing that needed fixing.It helped because the tenant had a few minor items to fix (which I took care of on day one) but it let me know that they were happy tenants and if anyone would know about a furnace/leak/roof issue they would be happy to spill it.