I also think, I may need a better realtor, the one I use doesn't seem motivated enough.

His strategy for contacting motivated sellers for land deals is intriguing.

It's hard starting out to stay motivated when nothing seems to work. 

While I have the time, financial resources and motivation, I lack experience in this niche.

Motivation always comes from inside, you can't make people feel motivated.

@Jonathan Greene recently posted a fantastic "Do's and Don'ts" guide for newcomers on the Forums.I, too, am looking to join a motivated local investing group that specializes in buy & hold and multifamily, and I hope to see you at one of the local meetups soon!

For your question you posed, two factors would influence my decision: 1) my opportunity costs - in other words what other options do I have at the time, and 2) My stage of life - at points in my life I have been willing to take a bit more risk, and have had bandwidth to take on that risk, and others I am not so willing to take the risk and do not have the bandwidth. 

I have a young daughter and a growing family and my priorities have shifted to the degree that I have motivation now to finally take some action.   

How should we calculate the offer that we make to a motivated seller?

Know the difference between opinion and data.You think that: Foreclosure --> motivated --> dealAbsentee owner --> motivated --> dealProbate --> motivated --> dealBut that is not true.Here is what is more accurate:Foreclosure + motivated = Potential dealAbsentee owner + motivated = Potential dealProbate + motivated = Potential dealDistress does NOT imply motivation. 99.9% of the time, it doesn't!