Them selling isn't as easy as collecting a check and deep down they want to have the piece of mind that whoever buys isn't going to treat the house poorly or anger the neighbors.

Everyone should read Rich Dad, Poor Dad as an overview.

To achieve that you would need to make improvements to the property or add square footage so that it is better than other homes in the neighborhood.Your best bet for no money down is finding a dump, fixing it up, renting it out and then refinancing because the appraisal will be substantially higher.

BiggerPockets is a great place to start but Facebook is going to be your best bet for finding wholesalers online.

But, I would also bet a lot of it is by sophisticated investors deciding it’s time to buy that dream vacation/retirement home and rent it out (short or long term) until they’re ready to quit/retire.

If it's 5 acres, I bet it's been designated for agricultural use. 

Rich Dad Poor Dad.

They bought when the market was at it's peak, ran it poorly, overspent on operations, and then the market crashed. 

They are probably paying below-market rent and have been "trained" poorly by the Seller, which means problems for you down the road.

With the poor inspection on top of my concerns with the cash flow, I decided to cancel and continue my search.