Working With A House That Has a Mortgage Payment

[Chris Nwoke]

I was recently contacted by a person who needs to sell their home very soon due to moving. The house was built a few years ago, is still in really good condition, needs no major repairs, 3bed/2.5bath, and has an ARV or $167K (this was the figure listed o the county's assessor website). After talking with the seller, I can tell that negotiating a low offer is very possible.

Here's the issue: she mentioned that there is a mortgage on the house and that the principle balance is $142,800. Pretty hefty. I know that motivated sellers are supposed to be the key to success for wholesalers. This one is very motivated, I'm just not sure how the mortgage factors into things. Do I make an offer that's enough to pay off the mortgate, or do I just stick with the regular offer formula and leave the remaining for the end-buyer if that's even possible?