I would rather work with someone who is willing to offer FMV or at least close to it with the understanding to the Seller that the discount is in the convenience. 

You should negotiate a bigger discount. 

So here is a partial list of people who might be more inclined to listen to your offer of a cash discount, or some type of vendor financing:Financially Distressed HomeownersThese are people who may be facing financial hardships such as foreclosure or debt.

We help real estate investors find deeply discounted, off­market properties so you'll never run out of leads to power your business."

Usually you can get a deep discount at a foreclosure auction. 

Finding a discounted property is almost like taking on a full time job.

My confusion is that some advice says to work directly with the borrower’s attorney while other advice says to go straight to the borrower with inquiry/offer. 

If you are really eager to buy his products then I suggest that you buy them off of Ebay at a huge discount.

When I’ve called around the “un-discounted price” has been within 5% of market.

Discount to present value and those low-ball cash offers you supposedly save me from start looking pretty good.