They don't want to deal with little fish. 

Fannin county is known as the trout capital of GA and there are a bunch of people that head there to simply fish the rivers in that area.

But even that gets meaningless once I get there so I aim to give more and more of my time and money as the business makes more to gospel centered missions that "teach people to fish".

I am working with a friend of mine who has the fish on the hook but still hasn't reeled it in yet.We have a property with possible liens on it. 

A fish thrown into boiling water will jump out immediately, a fish in water gradually heated up will ride out till the end.  

He is trying to fish for reasons not to move, and you need to paint the picture of what he stands to gain with the move or, conversely, lose if no action is taken.I'm assuming the seller is a veteran, so I would recommend not taking the hard *** approach if possible.

In this market/climate with people struggling to get work done even on their own homes, is it even a realistic option to come in fresh as a small fish, find a contractor, and get work done promptly?

This is the best place to start because you can find out what they want and then go find it.Think of yourself as a commercial fisherman.If all of your customers say they want tuna, you'd be stupid to go fishing in Kentucky Lake with a bunch of chum.And, at this time, just talk to local investors because you're going to ask them what they want in a property AND a contract.I want deals in TN but out of state investors like myself are not a good source for contracts.

If they like the rivers, fishing, etc. the area south of Bend is unbeatable. 

Be certain you understand what you're fishing for before you begin fishing.