If you're strictly seeking off-market deals, I recommend connecting with and working with a reliable/resourceful wholesaler instead of a real estate agent.

Working with Property Managers – What should I look for in a good property manager to ensure smooth operations? 

In my previous post under a similar heading I talked about my main learnings from a land deal that I'm working to close.

You can make the numbers work , but they will be close . 

I built my business from the ground up, and over the years, I’ve worked with first-time investors, seasoned pros, and everyone in between.

We have strict financial criteria we use to ensure this and can prove time and again that our criteria work.

Perhaps we "buy" the house from them for the $328K balance to satisfy the lender and don't need a large down payment and then have a separate contract with them to pay $x per month until we've paid the full $172K amount.

We work hard to keep things positive and real estate-focused (no politics or religion).

I still made it work, but man, it was close.Has anyone else been blindsided by something in a deal like this?

I also work in the ATL market.