I always text or email (depending on the tenant's preference) the day before any showing.By not communicating with the tenants, landlords and property managers are shooting themselves in the foot.

If/when tenant does decide to buy it, lets say the total sum between rent credits and purchase option payment was $8,000, you can either take $8,000 off the purchase price or as i would prefer, keep the purchase price but produce a receipt as if the tenant already gave you $8,000 in EMD toward the purchase price so it would count as part of their down payment and make it more manageable for the tenant financially to execute the purchase.

I prefer this more than development deals because those only make money at the exit which is many years down the road.

Is there any preferred return?

For reference, I currently live in San Francisco, CA, and am willing to relocate anywhere if the opportunity is right, but preferably would love to find something up in NorCal.I am a military veteran, but I am currently unemployed to go to college using my GI Bill as a source of income.

However, I'm finding that a lot of these are older townhomes in areas that I don't prefer living in. 

So, investors put in capital as part of the equity (could be debt or preferred equity, etc.) for the purchase. 

In that regards I would rather prefer to build a mutual beneficial connection rather than one that only benefits one side, even as a newbie there's something that can be offered that is of value.And I would rather that you're blunt rather than sugar coat things, in several discussions I found instances where wholesalers took advantage of sellers through P&SA contracts, inspection clauses and closing dates and were unable to fulfill there obligations to the sellers and preventing the seller from getting other buyers during the validity of the contract, I means it's quite unfair.But there where other instances where wholesalers had built credibility by the manner in which the death, I mean that is what builds a good relationship and make room for future referrals.I would still like to know your thoughts on Wholesaling and wholesalers, please do not sugar coat, let it out just as you see it. it.

Had a pretty good experience in their "Challenge" ($7K) program that deals only with single-family investing.However, later that year, we upgraded (in theory, and in dues) to their "Preferred" (or "PIG") membership, so that we could invest (passively) in multifamily deals. 

Given your preference for cash flow over appreciation, these locations offer good prospects for single-family residences with lower risk and strong rental demand.