My thoughts:
1) I was told to get a real estate agent to help, I have been trying to get an agent to help me, but most of them never get back to me and the ones that do, and I tell them what I am interested in doing, they never follow up with me and it is hard to keep chasing them, any advice as to what I should do about this?
There are agents that are accustomed to working with investors, but most aren't. And those who aren't likely won't be very helpful/responsive. If you want to work with an agent, find one that is accustomed to working with investors. The best way to do this is to attend local REIAs or meetups and network with other investors -- they'll know the agents who understand investing.
2) I would try to do deals myself but I don't know how to do that, I have no contracts and I have no clue how to make and write an offer to even start anything off, the only way I can think of making any offers is with an agent, but that will cost the seller an agent fee and will minimize my chances of getting any deals, what should I do about this?
If you want to represent yourself, I would suggest taking a real estate course and getting your license (or at least taking the course). You'll learn how transactions are done, you'll get access to the contracts that are used locally, and you'll get an understanding of how to navigate a deal/closing without another agent involved.
I'm a big proponent of getting your license, but not to save money. Having your license will give you the opportunity to maintain much more control over your deals -- you'll be able to talk to the other party's agent, lender, appraiser, inspector, title company, etc. -- without having to go through your own agent. When you're licensed, you have a lot more ability to insert yourself into the process and stay informed on the true status of the deal.
If you don't want to get licensed, there are a couple options for contracts:
* You can download a generic contract off the web (this is risky, as it may not be suitable for your area);
* You can find a local realtor who will give you a copy of the template used by local agents (legally, you're not supposed to use these if you're not licensed, but I won't tell);
* You can hire a local real estate contracts attorney to provide you a custom contract you can use.
3) Is it best to try to get a partner, someone who is already experienced? I have tried that as well but no one is really interested, how do I go about this?
I'm a huge fan of a partnering on early deals. Is there a reason nobody is interested?
What are you offering? What feedback are you getting specifically?
4) Even the distressed houses are only offering to be sold for a max $100,000 lower then regular asking price, which can't turn any profit, is it due to the market today? Is it even worth it to try to do flipping in todays market?
It's a tough market to be starting out, simply due to the fact that nobody knows where values are headed short-term. If you do a deal that has a 15% profit margin, and values fall 10% in the next few months, that doesn't leave you a lot of room for error (or much profit).
That said, now is a great time to get prepared -- get your license (if you want to go that route), figure out your financing plan, get intimately familiar with your farm area, find partners, find contractors, etc. There is likely to be a great opportunity for flippers in the next 6-24 months (depending on how quickly the economy turns), and using this time to prepare is the best thing you can do. That way, when the time is right, you can hit the ground running...
