We may be able to help Emma depending on location and urgency, PM me.

When they respond to direct marketing, let them know you can pay them cash quickly if that's what they are interested in, but if they have less urgency and would like to work through an awesome Realtor instead, well then pitch your wife!     

It also allows for slightly less urgency to respond as they are certainly expecting to wait an unknown amount of time for a response (within reason).However, the responses I just received are three cases that I'm not overly interested in pursuing.  

I can barely pay my bills now, and have almost exhausted my work opportunities in my small town..I suppose I could wait the  years and then start, but I feel an urgency to get started pronto!

It's difficult to create demand for an offer when the seller has no urgency, but I am sure there are certain things you can do to increase your chances just a bit? 

people who have no urgency/deadline to sell their property don't give discounts. 

Try and create some urgency, by explaining that you can only take on one more project right now, if not this one, than one of the others you've been working on.

Establish an upfront agreement (avoid "let me think it overs")3. talk about urgency and other possible solutions first such as another agent, a property manager, fsbo, etc, 4.

So far the market (and our currently active buyers) seem unchanged, however there is a higher level of urgency to buy before rates go higher.All these startegies are well and I will continue to invest, as I am cost averaging my portfolio interest rate.

Further, I know I made the mistake of taking the word of a tenant before completing the background check due to their urgency to move/reunite their family.