First deal--portfolio opportunity?

[Paul Magda]

In the last year I started to dive into REI. I read books, podcasts, YT videos, networking etc...

Short background on me: I am an entrepreneur who tends to perform well in times of pressure and that is why I put myself in this situation. I am involved in a few other business ventures but nothing wild.

Nonetheless, four months ago I decided to quit my "safe" job and start looking for my first off market deal. I started to drive and took me a few weeks to become comfortable in what I was doing. I developed a system of driving, address, skip tracing, cold calling to meeting with motivated sellers.

More recently (2 weeks ago) I honed in on a specific area very close to my residence and a specific name kept popping up. I picked out about 6 properties over a month or so that all came back to the same owner. I decided to call him and found out he is a landlord who owns 45 properties!

Keep in mind, I am new to the game and do not even have one deal under my belt BUT I am of the philosophy Ready , FIRE, Aim.

I developed rapport with him over the phone and after a couple of days I met him at one of his properties and actually helped him prep the home for a tenant as this particular home was vacant.

Long story short, he's an older gentleman who is ready to retire. He wants to sell his portfolio and exchange into a NNN lease wherever it makes sense. He doesn't want anything to do with management, just wants to exchange into a property, collect his check and live the rest of his days in Hawaii. I am connected with a commercial broker and we are confident we can find something for him to exchange in to. He is the sole property manager for his portfolio and he wants out.

I simply asked him and he is allowing me to facilitate the deal to help him retire. And I told him I can do it.

He is willing to sell at a discounted rate as some properties do need repairs. Most, I would say, are class C properties. I performed comps (similar sold off zillow in last 90 days) and his portfolio is worth approximately 11.1M ARV. He'd sell at a 15-20% bulk discount minus MAJOR repair costs.

I am at the point where I am trying to see what the best possible outcome is. (I am now AIM-ing)

For him: Sell, exchange, collect check and retire in Hawaii.

For me: ?

-Do I?

i) Present the deal to a more sophisticated/seasoned investor and ask for a "finders" fee?

ii) Attempt to finance the deal via Hard money/private lending and sell them off individually at a discounted rate (quick turnaround)? 

iii) Can I somehow facilitate the purchase with private money, refinance, and end up owning the properties and keeping them as "my" rentals?

My goal is to get more input into what the best option for this situation is? Any insight is GREATLY appreciated.

P.S. I have reached out to a few contacts I have met over BP and I am very grateful for the insight they have provided. Thank you.