I sat thru a Learning Annex class on this given by RE lawyer. He had nothing to sell, everything was in the notes ($10 additional) and was very clear on each step. In California there is a lot of steps to keep it clean and legal, otherwise you can get burnt. This class I took was during the peak of RE about 2 years ago, he mention to wait a few years until the inventory is bulging at auction, people are walking away from there homes and lenders want to sale.
I like to here from anybody if they been to any recent auctions, now promoted on the radio.
IMHO – Be knowledge and use a RE lawyer (familiar in this area) for paperwork before jumping in so you can learn the ropes safely.