(I'm also forging a relationship with a really savvy syndicator in Detroit, but Detroit's a unique beast.

@Jeffrey Smith Make him feel secured by letting him know you’ll close at a title company and he’ll be provided with a Lender’s Title Police, Hazard Insurance, a 1st Lien Position Mortgage and a Note which is your promise to repay.

@Paul Sandhu I love your unique housing situations.  

Or is this why the seller is flexible with the repayment terms?

When they walk in you want them to feel authenticity and uniqueness.  

If we ever found a unique property or the "perfect" home for us in, or even slightly above our budget, we would probably do it, but no such luck. 

Any unique ideas?

What combination of pieces you use is of course up to you, but here is one possible scenario:- An initial touch using a post card with a simple message- A white letter of no more than 2 pages wherein you explain how you can help the recipient with your unique set of skills.- A final touch, this one could be another post card, a short yellow letter or a 1 page white letter.The idea is to provide a simple initial message, expand on that message and then reinforce the urgency of the message.

My intent was to use it as needed for rehabbing two tax lien properties and then once properties were sold, replace funds and repay loan off early. 

If you don't already have a lot of expendable income, it can be a burden that impossible to get out from under, unless you get lucky and get some appreciation.In real life, even with the very best high-cashflow turnkey rentals, it can be extremely hard to repay the borrowed equity in fewer than 15 years, if only relying on cashflow.