The seller for this property is motivated because he never intended to be a landlord and wants to move to Florida.I want to try to get him to understand all of the expenses that I need to incur as an investor and that my offer price comes down to the number my spreadsheet shoots out basically.

The takeaway point of what I was trying to say is that being motivated to bring management in-house due to cash position isn't typically a good reason.

And unfortunately  as you must know in the NYC metro you are rarely to going to go higher than 8% cap unless it’s in disastrous condition, or a motivated seller. 5.

Networks - Because your network influences your net worth.

Network and Relationships: Investor-friendly agents often have extensive networks within the real estate industry, including connections with banks, attorneys, foreclosure specialists, and other professionals who might have leads on distressed properties or motivated sellers.

Hi TJ,I always suggest to clients that they take a look at homes in their market to see what other flippers are doing.Here a couple of example properties that you could look at and / or contact the listing agent for more information.This property is currently listed at $639,997 and sold for $375,000 on 1/18/2024.https://www.redfin.com/NJ/Bloomfield/465-Beardsley-Ave-07003...Another one to look at is this one that is listed at $694,850 and sold for $485,000 on 2/20,2024.https://www.redfin.com/NJ/Maplewood/77-Rutgers-St-07040/home...Hopefully this gives you some confidence and motivation! 

Good contractors are a precious commodity and any investor who has spent years and tens of thousands of dollars on contractors form hell will not feel motivated to share those with a stranger on the internet.

Is it better to constantly reach out to motivated seller leads or have motivated sellers reaching out to me?

Motivation is to overcome down payment hurdle for expensive houses for STR

Rich doesn't last, successful does.You are young and motivated which is awesome, but you are chasing the wrong thing.