Trying to decide out to lease the second unit before I market it. 

When I tried to contact him afterwards, he was nowhere to be found, and rumor had it he was in jail.

As they are now coming up on their 1 year lease renewal, why don't they try to find somewhere else to live and let the landlord know that they are not renewing their lease?

This is typically how I approach my investing since I'm more in it for the long haul than short term rewards.Long haul is always a plus I was trying to see if I could mixed the both of them buy getting a fixer up for cash flow in a neighbor that would eventually increase in value.  

The best agents are worth their weight in gold, especially to those of us who have struggled for years trying to make all of the pieces fit.

@Roberto RodasYou should consider yourself first, how much capital you have, what you are trying to accomplish with real estate, are you aiming to do it full time, or do you want to be a passive investor?

Trying to time the market is a fool's errand and besides you might not like what is on the market three years from now. if something matches your needs and desires perfectly  and you're ready to go - go. 

We reply to all of them, typically thanking them for their feedback and invite them back to give us a try in the future. 

The seller for this property is motivated because he never intended to be a landlord and wants to move to Florida.I want to try to get him to understand all of the expenses that I need to incur as an investor and that my offer price comes down to the number my spreadsheet shoots out basically.

He was just giving you his advice and trying to compare your relationship to others here as a defense is a sign of fragility.