Our parents paid 10K for the plans to build it in 1975. 

In person its a place I could see maybe doing an investment or two in but its not where I really want to set up shop (I mean that literally; set up a home and also set up a wood shop - so I can build custom cabinets and stuff).If Santa Cruz, CA ever goes on sale then I'll go there and suck it up with CA laws and cost of living, but for the foreseeable future it is not even a remotely viable option; I looked at a fourplex there generating $10k in monthly income and priced at $2,700,000. 

Build mobile home on the vacant lot I understand the cost involved for rehab the existing house.  

We recently had a deal where we initially didn't bring up seller carry, but through building rapport and consistent communication with the seller, an opportunity presented itself.

The goal in the future is to get the permit and add the value for a future refinance.I have called the county and building department and they said that I will need blueprints of the alterations and submit them for approval and get all the inspections in place (I know this will be a headache and can be very costly).

I've been told this is because Raleigh had zoning laws in the past that prevented building duplexes, but I would definitely need to research that more.

After the crash in 08 he retired, moved back to Oklahoma, and now wants to come out of retirement and start building again.

Hello,How do you build the self-confidence to approach a property owner about buying their property?

I mentioned to him that I wanted to get started with investing via wholesaling and after some chatting, he brought up his willingness to be a paid mentor for me to get my first deal.He said he would teach me Real Estate Economics, investor psychology, and how to find and build the right product/deal for an investorHe charges $150 a call if I book a batch of calls or $195 a call if I book one at a time.

@Cheryl A Perna- thanks ...the proeprty will need to be a condo as there are no SFRs in the downtown area you mention ...condo market in seattle  is  much softer  than the  SFR market right now ...its a buyers  market with many units for sale ...the price ranges are still high and if you want to try to break even with renting it part time - it may be tough to do   especially  when factoring HOA dues into it  .