And don’t underestimate the power of direct outreach; some sellers may be more flexible if you present a clear, structured plan for partnership or financing.

You can't actually pay it off directly because they've been securitized, and the people who invested in those securities did so because of the specific certainty of the payment schedule.What you do in a defeasance is use the proceeds of the sale or the funds from your new lender to purchase treasury bonds that are packaged to make the exact payment amounts and timings on the remaining term of the loan, and then assign those bonds to your old lender.

I've been searching myself for 2 years now and have yet to find one good cold calling company, I've even tried to hire off upwork directly.

It just eats up a good portion of the lot area, which could potentially be used for another unit or a much nicer outdoor area. 

So my loan officer may direct me to not disclose those properties while applying for the refinance.  

It's not a direct answer to your question, but it's very likely you have no contractual leg to stand on.

The layout and comps will ultimately decide which direction to go in -  but it is hard to ignore the fact that families in the price range you mentioned will sour at thought of 4 bedrooms sharing one shower.

I will reply to you directly via email Monday.

If you need further guidance, DM me, and I’ll point you in the right direction!

From there, I try to figure out why this house isn't selling, and if I'm still interested I'll make an offer at a price that works at my numbers.Other than that, yes I think it is a great idea to dig deeper into more creative methods of finding deals - wholesalers, direct mail, door knocking, networking, etc.