My experience is a single completed house flip, not extensive by any means but some proof of my willingness to take action in this business and ability to secure funding and close on a deal.I'll be joining in the local REIA activities and possibly meeting some of you!  

If you're not able and willing to buy it yourself, then don't get it under contract until you have an *extensive* network of cash buyers to where you are almost 100% certain you can flip the contract.

If so, try offering her a small amount of additional non refundable deposit in exchange for an extension.

Make sure there is NO PREPAYMENT PENALTY and the lender is flexible on extensions.

I have extensive experience with and specialize in preparing real estate investor tax returns and setting up LLCs for real estate investors.

For this reason I've always bought in Riverside, Avondale, and Murray Hill neighborhoods because the renovations are usually smaller and less expensive, as those properties have generally been better maintained in the past.Additionally, the skills needed to restore 100-yr-old buildings are often quite different from new construction, so it's very important to hire contractors and trades with extensive experience working on old buildings.Since prices are up it's difficult to find habitable properties that just need cosmetic work - usually prices are too high for the rental to be profitable.

A mentor can have extensive knowledge about real estate contracts, but perhaps not understand modern marketing to motivated sellers.  

It’s really an extension of credit granted by the seller to facilitate his sale!

I have extensive experience in creating buildings (registered architect) but have never really dealt with the financial/investor piece of the puzzle. 

I have done extensive research and have tons of info - divorce decrees, bankruptcies ( I haven't done probate yet) but almost nothing to leads me to home owners.