@Anthony Pace - From a commercial lender perspective Anthony I would suggest the following things to consider, if you will need financing:1. 

Anyway, see who’s selling want you want, give them the criteria, push the fact you’re legit, and ask what might be out there you can jump on. 

The JV is assuming all responsibility for upkeep and paying bills (although my IRA has 100% responsibilities for expenses).I believe my custodian may require a promissory note / Mortgage regardless of terms as protection- am following up with them tomorrow.

That could be a great way to find and stay engaged with local investors, realtors and opportunities. http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsYou can also search for other investors or brokers in those target markets and follow their journey on Bigger Pockets here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search/usersAnything you can do to build your network in the region will help you find the realtor, and eventually the property, that suits your needs.

You have a track record of closing on deals, so when having conversations with brokers, definitely bring that up.Here are a few other tips for winning over a commercial broker:Pay them a consulting feeTake them out for coffeeVisit their recent sales and tell them what you do and don't like about the properties as it relates to your ideal investmentProvide them with information on how you will fund a dealConstant follow-up: whenever you perform a task that brings you closer to completing a dealOnce you know how much cash you will have ($225k or $675k), you can figure out the max purchase price you can handle by assuming you will need 30% to 35% of the total project costs in equity.

I don't know anything about the market that you are looking in, but keep at it. 70% is going to be a little more difficult to get and we often sell properties to people at 80%, but everyone has their own criteria they follow. 

That could be a great way to find and stay engaged with local investors, realtors and opportunities. http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsYou can also search for other investors or brokers in your target markets and follow their journey on Bigger Pockets here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search/usersBest of luck to you and look forward to following your journey!

Realtors are putting the house live, followed by an open house, and then looking at all offers after, creating a demand and competition.     

Thanks Derek for the advice that's really helpful, and yes as soon as she told me I shared my condolences and did ask a little bit about the situation but I didn't want to dig down too much to the point where it may be too personal for her to talk about to a stranger.I definitely like the part of continuously following up with her and building a relationship, that makes sense and once she is ready to sell then I think I will have a leg up on others.So my next step is to find out the ARV of the property through comps and like you said try to figure out how much repair cost it needs then make an offer.

Typically Charlotte is at the tip of the trends, and the rest of the country tends to follow the pattern that is set here first.