>We thought about sending letters to see if somebody wanted to sell to us

I heard this is something real estate investors do for people who are in the foreclosure process. Offer a all cash short sale and see if the home owner and bank bites to prevent going through foreclosure. I don't know if it's actually true or not, or how common it is.

There is a service that offers this, it's called "Craigslist" and "Facebook groups."