When I cold call someone and ask if they are interesting In selling and they say no, but I know that they’re house has been vacant for awhile or the motivation is going to come because of money problems , how do I go about getting a follow up??

We are trying to pull the equity out of the property to help with rehab costs on that specific property and put the remaining into a new investment property.

@J Scott - Thanks - Does that number (%) remain the same when doing a rehab for a buy and hold rental?

So, the benefits you would get from working with a experienced and motivated local agent that has insights to what areas fit your investment goals would be something you would still be missing even if you did get your RE license. 

How did you find a VA you could trust, was qualified (capable of completing a wide range of task well), was motivated even though they were not full time, and did not cost a fortune?

No offense, but you MANAGE foreclosure portfolios in BK, I specialize  distressed property ACQUISITIONS prior to the foreclosure and if we go back to the initial question asked by @Isaac Black , he was asking if he could approach someone who is currently in BK, and my answer still remains.

He can lose the EMD also.So the question remains what does the contract say about keeping the EMD if the buyer does not perform? 

In addition, it can be helpful to stipulate in the agreement that a portion of the proceeds from the sale will remain in escrow until he has vacated AND if you are forced to proceed with eviction the money can be used towards that. depending on the selling price, $5-$10k outta be enough to convince him to move his stuff out.

I don't think he is truly a motivated seller but His property was one of the 1st I saw while driving for dollars and his number was definitely the 1st I located while doing some skip tracing on my own.

I had a few decent responses, but no one truly motivated and of course a few that were angry or just hung the phone up. lol I've also been Driving for dollars, and I found a few houses I just can't get in contact with some of the owners.