The additional income from STR could justify the renovation costs, but it requires active management and market awareness.LTR or Break-Even Strategy: Renting long-term might simplify things, but if it only breaks even, you’re right to consider if appreciation is enough motivation to hold.DIY Basement: DIYing the basement could increase STR appeal without the full $50K outlay, especially if extra space attracts more bookings.

My motivation is that I want to be able to leave my day job working for the govt. 

Letting them know you’re casting a wide net can motivate them to find stronger deals to stand out among your options.

Also if I feel they are not actually motivated to act on a deal I send them I would rather not send it to them.Maybe a better option would be to communicating to your current realtor that you want them to be actively looking for you and sending you on market deals.

Understand the concept of a motivated seller, and apply this insight to your interactions and content.When you do this, you won’t have to worry about finding cash buyers—they’ll find you.

I felt that it was very well done, covered a significant amount of material, had a friendly and motivational feel, and was a good experience and a worthwhile value for $1500.

After no luck with the realtor after 8 months of the same thing over and over again - I lost a bit of motivation and just stopped searching Zillow for hours a day. 

@Brandon Weis You can find motivated agents to place lockboxes, codeboxes and such.

He responded with “Hello this is Felipe wholesaler in Orange County Nice to hear from you hope your event went well I have motivated cash buyers That love places in distress or properties that aren’t listed in the market”I’m wondering how legit this is if he is a wholesaler and truly has buyers he is working with.

I also recognize there are different motivations behind SFR investing.