@Guy Gimenez Well, if real estate doesn't work out for you you should consider journalism, or poetry, or motivational speaking! 

What is the best way to go about finding motivated sellers? 

I don’t quite get the motivation. 

It's about truly understanding their needs, concerns, and motivations, which can often lead to more favorable outcomes for both parties involved.

Your motivation will take care of the rest, but be realistic. 

If you're lucky enough to find an interested seller, you will need to have the tools to quickly analyze the deal, understand if the sellers motivation to sell, pain points if any, and genuinely see if you can provide them with a quick exit strategy.

Set filters for: as-is, fixer upper, 203k, handyman, motivated, negotiable, TLC, cash, etc.

In that case an agent would need some motivation to lower a commission.

I think looking to get face-time with someone who is experienced in this specific situation and market status would be really helpful to answer some internal questions and provide guidance and external motivation to make a decision and get moving. 

It sounded like the team working on the loan wasn't motivated to close as the usual path on these situations is to find a solution with the sellers to get the loan done.