I just closed today on the sale of the second house and have ended the nightmare!

So most likely I will pay cash or close to it for her new 55+ community home and our budget is 450k max.

When it comes to hooking up my follow-up system I've seen a lot of other CRMs fall short with drips (lack of good time delays, no custom mailing function, doesn't pause with a response, can send auto messages after a deal closes, etc) 

We have an event this Saturday Feb 12, 2022, you can check out the Bigger Pockets page for it here:https://www.biggerpockets.com/...The group's page on Meetup.com is at:https://www.meetup.com/real-es...There is a $5.00 contribution which you can do in cash at the meeting as well, it doesn't come close to covering the cost of the space but I may be able to get another space shortly. 

Either way, you would be left with roughly enough to put 10% down on a $400-600K property and still have cash leftover for closing costs, furnishings and minor touch up renovations. 

We'll say, then, your expected deal will return close to 15%. 

Sellers and Brokers need to know you can close. 

I have been digesting all things Real Estate so right now I am working to lower my DTI while saving at least 6-7% for the Owner Occupant down payment (to include closing cost, etc.).

As far as whether to approach them with or without an agent - approaching them directly without an agent can save the seller probably 2.5-3% of fees, which give you some room to negotiate on the price, but you need to be confident that you are capable of evaluating the property value, estimating on the amount of work that is needed, knowing how to negotiate/ structure the deal, and navigating the closing process.

As always, read ALL the terms before you sit to close.