It essentially includes having a buyer for a specific property BEFORE entering  in a contract with a seller.  

Many of the properties I have been looking at have issues but in this case I'm working with the seller to let me get it up to conventional appraisal standards before they inspect it.

.- Have attorney draw up a contract to do this.Suggest you offer your dad some cash, now or in the near future, to motivate him to transfer his ownership to you.It may not work out, but you will learn a lot either way!

Currently selling two SFRs to 1031 into a seller financed 9 unit mixed use property - I am still excited to learn new strategies 13 years later.I have some of my investments on my profile and some info regarding each.

The seller's LLC pays capital gains tax and depreciation recapture, while the buyer's LLC uses the purchase price as the new cost basis.

That is the sole motivator behind seeking out these markets and property types.

The owner is open to seller finance for us.

We're willing to live almost anywhere in the greater Sacramento area based on what we can afford, provided of course that the property is in a decent neighborhood that has a good chance of attracting responsible tenants.As for budget, I believe we could get a conventional loan for properties up to $600k, but my strong preference is to find a distressed property (or seller!)

What off-market really means is that the seller refuses to sign an exclusive listing agreement with an agent but tells the agent if they bring them a buyer, they'll payout a commission.

In that case, get the seller to call.