Might need to have someone co-sign with you if you haven't built much credit yet. 

For the third method, I decided to give wholesaling a shot and put out about a dozen bandit signs.

You would sign as an agent of the LLC, not as yourself the individual 

Offer to sign a confidentiality agreement to try to break the information loose.You can often underwrite a deal using a market rent survey and industry standard expenses.

But then after postponing for a week signing, he said he wanted an additional 40k above the asking price.

I never agreed to this, unless they snuck it into some fine print I signed at closing.

I also like that I can send leases and lease renewals and have tenants e-sign.

A lot of agents see it as a grey area.. so I would be selective about which agents you approach, of course make connections but also get a feel for whether they are indeed 'investor friendly'.

@Michael Wayne Fraze III If you have selected the area you like for vacation rentals 100%, I can respect that.

Then they pay off the old loan, you sign a new note and deed of trust, and a new deed is recorded as well as the old lien being removed.