Welcome to BiggerpocketsWhile real estate is excellent to build a fortune,a job makes for a living and down payments.Many BP members here do real estate investing part-timeThere are skills(marketing to motivated sellers, negotiating a great deal,financing a purchase/exit strategies etc) to be mastered to make for financial freedomSure,you have come to the right place.Read, listen,learn, engage the communitySee you in the forums

Find and negotiate an equity pack property and the MONEY will come, or just flip and you don't need the money.Money is not the key to real estate success - the key that will unlock the doors to many transactions is the deal, the knowledge to negotiate, the ability to think of 10 ways to write an offer, finding great properties and the ability to negotiate an attractive transaction.Why buy property when you can CONTROL a property and flip it while you are in contract.Selling something you don't own is the highest leverage in the world ----I have been doing Control and Roll for years now and it is the fastest way to make short term cash profits - try it, it works!

How is it going negotiating with the bank?

Read about taxes, depreciation and renters and negotiation psychology. 

I am really looking to grasp everything that I can get regarding all aspects of the business: marketing, how to spot the perfect property, how to negotiate the deal, wholesale, you name it.

It requires a whole basket of skills and you have to be good at all of them including knowing your market really well, marketing skills (and significant funds), negotiation skills, understanding investment strategies and what makes an attractive deal, estimating rehab and construction expenses, estimating after repair values accurately and networking - to name a few.

If I just give them the best offer then it completely eliminates any negotiating ability, so is there a way to respond that opens up the discussion for negotiating back-and-forth?

Has anyone had success negotiating with the bank outside of a Short Sale?

Granted the RR has been fairly consistent between 5-10% and even up to 15%, some neighborhoods have been more adamant to meet and negotiate deals (which I believe stems from the demographic, average age of the residential area, and simply the culture of the neighborhood) My skill sets and insight into print marketing has been key in building an emotional response, and thus providing qualified leads.

The buyer is paying for the RIGHT to "hold" the property at a pre-negotiated price for a specific period of time.