Another way is to try and get to the buyer, whether you try and send a letter written by the potential seller or sell their desire to own. 

I'm interested in pursuing SFR buy and holds that I can potentially refinance and pull cash out to pay the private lender and then repeat the process.

I think it will be a good solid long term property and it is a great location for me personally (5 minutes from my house, 15 minutes from where my kids attend school, and walking distance to my favorite Mexican restaurant).I have been able to trim operating expenses over $250 per month so far and think I'll potentially be able to trim them another $200 or so per month within the next month or so.

Kind of illustrative of the principle that you're better off buying quality properties that have the potential to appreciate.  

i am a teenager and am looking to get into real estate in the future. although, i was wondering if there were ways to get started now and if i could potentially make money off of it at such a young age.

First off, they are misusing the term "pocked listing" as to real estate terms, it's buzz, no big deal, but know a pocket listing is generally illegal by RE Commission regs, where an agent simply holds the listing contract and doesn't actively work it until they come across a potential buyer, they keep the listing in their pocket.I do not advise newbies to use a listing agent to buy, in a dual agency (which was misguided in that video) the listing agent represents the seller not the buyer.

This communicates to your potential mentor that I have done my homework on the topic of wholesaling and even started marketing.   

I move my property listings emails to a folder in my Gmail account that I labeled Property Listings, Potential Buyers etc. 

I am at a pivotal point in the direction I am going and am trying to get a feel for the potential and best place to focus my extra time.

I currently work in the IT industry and have done well, but I'm looking to increase my earning potential and hopefully help some more people along the way.