I Want To Work In This Bussiness Legally?
i was wondering if there is a company that i cansign up and get paid for finding distressed properties and other properties for investers. where all i have to do is get a name and a address. or phone #. where i might be able to make $500. or more. I dont have the money to invest in these homes myself yet but i would like to get comp. for finding them till i can afford to do so myself. But i want to make sure what i want to do is legal. i also would like to know what company to contact to do this kind of work. and not have them take the tip and not pay me for it. 
check out the Birddog forum
Call any ad that says "we buy houses", good investors will gladly pay you.
thanks lin and ray
While you can (and lots of folks do) just be a birddog and make a few dollars on a deal you sniff out or dig up, I'd urge you to find a REI with whom you can build some rapport so you can learn how & what that REI's doing, so you can someday grow beyond being merely a BD.
When you find an REI you like and want to work with, be sure and make a deal with him/her that you be included in his/her thinking, meetings with the other people involved in the deal, etc.
This way, you'll start learning enough so someday you can go out on your own and make some sizeable dollars acting alone.
You can't go wrong with any of John Locke's courses. He has authored an e-book entitled Big Bucks bird-dogging. This e-book is written in simple everyday language.
I purchased this ebook some time ago and being an investor for years I found this book vary informative and even learned a few things as well.
I followed his book word for word just to test it out and I will say his simple approach works great. Now understand I have flipped a lot of properties to other investors for years prior to reading John's book but his methods simply enhanced my approach greatly.
I have no doubt you will find his book a worthwhile investment.
[addsig]