If you talk with mom and pops who run C and D a good amount of them collect the rent in some old fashion way like knock on the door.. :)  

Popping the top is very common in W.

Building is usually better from a Marketing standpoint, because you can build it for the customer, versus most mom/pop locations are built because they had extra space where they were already at.

Most Mom/pop locations did not build for the customer. 

Check ou the two articles i wrote on BiggerPockets about the VA loan (just search "VA Loan" on the site, and they will both pop up)

The numbers should drive it and obviously you know the numbers.I've had this come up and I tend to notice issues pop up when it comes times to actually close. 

I wanted to ask if anyone has had success sending direct mail to mom and pop owners that has lead them to a deal? 

I'm a mortgage broker in Greenville, SC, so this popped up on my "Greenville" keyword alerts. 

But I would speak with the seller and advise them that the more info you receive the more polished your offer will be—you want to avoid a bait and switch (make an offer and then ask for X off before closing) at all costs unless there are major underlying undisclosed issues that pop up during due diligence (major water or fire damage, fire hazards,Structural integrity issues, etc).

Tagging @Yonah Weiss and @Greg Dickerson for you so your question pops up in their notification inboxes :)