I'm hoping to hear some creative ways people are handling this part of the process.

I have had luck with doing direct mail marketing for some of my past clients that wanted a certain area or neighborhood, you'd be surprised at how many sellers don't want to deal with showings and everything else that goes into listing a home. 

Denver Creative Housing, Denver Sublets, Roomies, Roommates, and so on, there are a few good ones)Also, I use Roomies as well because it is a site specific to finding roommate tenants, and there is a huge demand for it as well, so it is a great alternative to fill vacancies for houses if your owners are open to it and you price it correctly. 

He has helped me with some creative financing and outside of the box strategies in the past.

If you buy in a market that does not yet have rules on STRs, they will someday and you don't know what direction they will go.

@Chirdeep BhutaniIt's market specific, but residential RE and commercial are not always directly correlated. 

I’ve already found some potential buyers interested in the deals.However, one buyer has recommended that I terminate my contracts with the owner and instead work directly with them.

Why I am leery of these "creative" things for people with little to no money

But I also realize many people choose the direction of Appreciation first.In my hometown market (not Pittsburgh, but central NJ area), few small to mid size multi family properties could come close to cash flowing positively.

Creative financing is imperative in todays market.