If you have cash and send in an cash offer, you can quite easily got a good deal done. 

My son rents in Smyrna but will move out of the area.You didn't mention if you were going to flip or rent.First, it may seem like the Smyrna area is improving but not nearly as fast as East Cobb, Roswell and Alpharetta.2) The Smyrna schools are the worst in Cobb County and never seem to improve.3) The crime rate in Smyrna is the highest in the county, now that heroin is so easily available in that area.4) Because the new SunTrust Braves stadium is opening this spring the traffic will be horrendous.5) Smyrna is a very transient area and doesn't have a sense of community.Highest recommendation would be certain areas of Kennesaw (Legacy Park),East Cobb, western area of Roswell near Hwy 92 and definitely Woodstock.

. -- I think signed formal offers/counters can easily clean the slate of any perceived "verbal" he-said-she-said.

Account Closed  great advice  he has to be careful here if he has no money as he stated.. this deal could easily be taken from him... you know how it gets when you get away from mom and pop investor and start dealing with builder developers if you can't close they will just wait it out and swoop in.. seen it happen more than one.. its why when I am showing plats to lennar or Horton I know I have my powder to take it down if they back out to see if I can really close

I'm not easily frustrated, but if I had to pick something it would be the sheer number of crazy people that are getting into the market, buying properties at prices that are never going to make them money and driving up the market prices sellers *think* they can/should be getting.

Same way with latch so somebody doesnt kick it down easily. 

I BELIEVE it can be a win-win, but if approached incorrectly it can very easily come off as "Hey, you're out there hustling and I just want to ride your coattails".Any input is greatly appreciated.

Then again, having a building be considered warranted under the F/F rules at day X can easily change at day Y!

You can just as easily make a small profit by simply bringing a deal to someone interested in house flipping or even a buy and hold rehab.

The folks that are buying while lacking in those areas succeed in spite of those shortcomings and are the exception.Something I've been thinking about a lot lately is the concept of "Real" Net Worth - Net Worth that directly contributes towards financial freedom by producing cash flow or that is accessible easily like cash or cash equivalents.