I had a good relationship with the listing agent and was able to structure a below value deal (beating out iBuyers and other investor offers).

>The likely rent I'd get in this area will cover half my mortgage payments at the momentI have done all of my brrrr in different market and I have the same issue that after a refi to extract the value add, my high LTV property at current rates is large cash flow negative (not as large as only covering 50% of the mortgage).  

Do they offer to help you collect or file a claim against them?

It had been listed almost a year when we made an offer.

Also, often times the original homeowners still live in the property so once the sale is ratified you have to go through the eviction process or offer cash for keys to get them to leave.

It provides valuable market data that offers insights, unlike the free version that offers none.

@CraigIf you have two offers with that high of down payment already you must be living right!

BiggerPockets also has a calculator to analyze deals, and I highly recommend you start this as soon as possible, even if you are not ready to buy.

Of course there was offers to register for more courses and mentoring  and various up sells, but you will find that at any seminar. 

Of course it is very important to do proper due diligence on the investment and the operator.As far as self-directed IRA there are number of companies offering such service, this topic has been discussed here on the forum many times so you should search using this keyword and learn from those discussions.