Sounds like the seller was more or less a hobbyist and not running his portfolio like a business.

I guess my question would be what expense is pushing the difference of $300k between your seller and your mentor?

I can answer phone calls and pre-screen or I can visit the sellers with contracts in hand and expect me to close them.. 

Otherwise you have transferred $13k in costs the seller should be paying to the buyer. 

But it's not a large market (c. 70 property transactions all year) and incredibly tight right now (less than 1% vacancy rate), so very difficult to find sellers who are motivated to take a discount.

I’m very new at this, and for motivational reasons I am kind of just going through the motions and learning as I go along.

The selling agent insists that the agreement of sale entitles the seller to copies of inspections and appraisal.

Love the motivation!

I moved to Florida a little over a year ago, I bought my first (and only) house about 4 months ago.I am highly motivated to start in the real estate filed.There is one problem- MONEY.Right now I'm trying to save money to invest in a second home.Every morning I wake up to a 9-5 job, stare at the computer all day,and I feel like I can do so much more.I know how to work with my hands, and I renovate in my free time.I would love to work in this field and to learn the profession.If anyone is interested in mentoring a young and motivated guy, please leave a message here.Thanks!

Market for motivated sellers then market for motivated sellers then market some more for motivated sellers.