You can do seller financing or get a private lender but likely either of those will be tough.

This highest comparable sale was 380K.Rather than dropping the lead I am looking for strategies in dealing with sellers who are not willing to sell at a number that makes sense.

These aren't deal killing delays but remember that you've probably got an impatient seller or two who don't care that your 1031 is delaying them.1.

I know that we could do some kind of seller financing, which would probably work best for me since I don’t make a whole ton of money right now.

Should I immediately rescind my offer and tell the seller to fix that situation and get back to me after, reassess/resubmit the offer with the eviction factored in, stay put and inquire more about the eviction, or whatever else I'm not thinking of?

I know I am ready to "make a move", but I don't know what is the most important "first" step after reading all the books, taking notes at the seminars, and being motivated from the real estate Podcast.  

After doing research and educating myself on this method, I found the sellers are the hardest ones to find, not so much the buyers.

Joe has a tax lien for 90K which is preventing him from getting a traditional loan/financing.The house Joe lives in is paid off, but the seller has a lien on the house from his mother's nursing home.  

2) Can/Should I put in an offer on the house before HELOC goes through to let seller know I want the house? 

Most deals are coming from equity sellers, investors creating value (new construction, ADUs, adding square footage, etc.), and very last is MLS.