Fortunately I was able to find skilled and trustworthy contractors, and share equity stake with them to give them skin in the game and ambition to be successful.To get the seller to closing, I built a short but meaningful relationship with the seller.

And don't forget your email.There are a lot of people out there who might have a spark of interest but aren't ready to fully commit to submitting themselves to making a phone call to get a sales pitch. 

The majority of calls I make do not end in any meaningful negotiations, but I imagine it's a numbers game and I will make a significant contact at some point.