I want to get my license to learn about the industry and understand what is going on when my partner and I talk to realtors (currently I am a nanny with a master's in counseling psychology wanting to get into real estate investing....it's a bit of an odd switch). 

I find myself in an odd position.

The odds of hitting an owner at the exact time they are motivated enough to sell with a direct mailing piece are very low.

Everyone and their uncle is out there marketing to motivated sellers and some are spending small fortunes every month on marketing - You just can't compete with that - Thats not to say that you won't eventually stumble on a deal, but the odds are against you.  

That's odd.

a 1/1 being call an apartment seems odd, but it might be part of a mixed use building.

I think my odds are stacked against me on this one.

HelloQuick scenario is I got an off market property large enough to subdivide square footage wise however the lot is odd shaped so when I split the lots to meet the minimum widths the one lot falls short approximately 800 square feet.

Not a statistician-- but unless you are having an economic downturn (or all work at the same place and it went under)--collusion sounds likely as the odds are against all tenants suddenly having a financial exigency at the exact same time.Word may have spread that nothing serious happened with late rent (no late fee?

I am trying to push a deal to her as the property is odd and not really appropriate for a traditional retail buyer since it would require significant rehabbing in order to work as a rental or owner occupancy.