When it comes to probate it's not at all unusual to buy a property at around the 1 year mark.  

There are all kinds of unusual people out there.

Look for properties with unusually low prices for the neighborhood and lots of interior pics...maybe even pre-foreclosures.

They can take a long time - so much that the market will have moved by the time it's over. 6-12 months is not unusual at all.The good news is, if you change your mind, you'll almost certainly be able to walk away because the bank will have exceeded the timelines in the contract.

He apologized, said it's very unusual to have a case to fall through the cracks in his office, and promised to send me an amount to cover my investment and the interest I would have earned if held for all this time.

Dealt unusual problems like prostitutes, overdoses, break ins, etc. 

It sounds like you were suing for possession of the rental unit and nothing more (not unusual).  

If you are a "one trick pony" and only trying to wholesale or fix and flip with 65 % LTV, and have very limited money to invest in marketing,  it is not unusual to go 9 to 12 months with very little to show for it, maybe longerIf you are a transaction engineer, with a full toolbox, helping sellers sell and maximizing their equity, you can buy on "sub to", wraps, lease options, and installment sales on free and clear properties.You can jv with sellers on minor rehabs that do not fit traditional numbers.See @Dev Horn s marketing video "the rule of 7" which means it takes seven mailings to one list to get a meaningful resultWhere I live in Los Angeles it's not uncommon for people to spend five to $10,000 every month when searching for wholesaling prospectsWholesaling is not for the faint of heart. 

Granted, that's probably an unusually high amount compared to most students, but there's no question the program gave me the tools to achieve this.- The program insists that you have an attorney review everything you do, they inspire you to get out of your comfort zone and achieve success but are fanatical about making sure you stay legal- They operate by Christian standards, empahsize the discipline of giving back, and inspire us to never sacrifice ethics for success.

Thanks @Carl Fordyce for starting the thread...I have been hell bent focused on just trying to figure out what the formula is to "buying my freedom" from my less than exciting job in academia (I'm a marketing professor) and at 6 units I know that I am not quite there yet...so I have agonized about how to scale up from 6 to ~30 units and what steps/focus will get me there to finally be able to say "take this job and ...it" and eventually be sophisticated enough of an investor to play in the commercial space...I would guess it is not unusual to hit this fork in the road but thinking about it in terms of return rather than strictly cash flow per door has been really eye opening!