Cash offers are often particularly appealing to sellers because they eliminate the uncertainties that come with financing, such as loan approval or appraisal issues.

Be careful the seller isn't unloading a problem on your.

Am I getting greedy to ask for an additional seller credit at closing to help offset some of repairs needed?

I would focus my attentions here and try to stay local (within a 4 hour drive) as the POH rentals require more engagement.Financing is a tough deal... but sometimes you can find those Mom and Pop operations with quite a few POH rentals that will work with seller financing on a reasonable interest rate with a balloon within 5-7 years. 

If you can find a seller willing to finance you might be able to get more favorable homes.

The "typical" off market seller is someone who thinks their house is in too rough of condition to sell on-market, but doesn't have the money to fix it themselves.  

They just make sure to disclose that they don’t represent the buyer or the seller I guess.

I recently bought a commercial condo (retail) and have been going through hoops with the seller (developer) to make changes to make the space ADA compliant. 

I know there's seller finance and "B" lender that are good for the short term, but if a balloon payment is due say in 5 years, there's no guarantee that my DTI would be in a better place then I'd be stuck without funding. 

I am a realtor and wholesaler, and I get some buyers looking for owner financing, some sellers need/prefer getting cashed out and there are some lenders I work with who can provide the financing however they run out of funds sometimes.