You need to be able to have the conversation before learning how to use specific techniques.

Because of this, he should say that whatever price they agree on, he'll divide it by 0.97 and give the agent the 3% (typical split commission if my cousin were to have used an agent), he's not losing anything extra, and the buyers have that cost tied into their mortgage and aren't out that amount themselves.I'm curious what other techniques people have used if selling themselves and are approached by a buyer's agent?

I'm curious if there are other strategies or techniques to consider for someone who wants to be a passive real estate investor.

@Nate Wiger thats an interesting technique.

Many in CA haev to think really hard about using a LLC.Converting rental income into salary is a pretty advanced technique. 

BTW, guru junk is not an education in RE.Gurus show techniques to use in RE. 

Check out the following link for a solid explanation of the Cap rate:http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2011/11/16/capitalization-rate-%e2%80%93-techniques-to-speed-up-your-decision-making-part-iii/Otherwise, type 'Cap rate' in the search box (top right corner of the screen) and you'll find everything you're looking for and more in the search results.

You can pick up a lot of little techniques. 

When I perform this technique the homeowner generally gets 4-5 free flowing years.

I have a friend who repainted her cabinets using a white base coat, then used a "dry brush" technique with brown paint over the white giving her cabinets a very attractive faux wood finish.