I suspect the seller does not want to wait 35 days.. so do you then put a very short term Loan on property with the middle man on title.. or do you simply take title?

Value = NOI/Cap RateNo clue on the accuracy of your cap rates, but assuming they are correct:Building 1 = $319KBuilding 2 = $322KBuilding For Sale 1 = $500KBuilding For Sale 2 = $656KSo seems you are pretty close with your values except for Building 1.The 2% Rule is simply GSI/Market Vale (or purchase price, or ARV, or whatever you want to use).

Do they view contractors as simply blue collar folks or businesspersons?  

However in my experience is the attempt to hedge against the risk.

The philosophy is that once someone says they are an investor attempting to acquire something that isn't on the MLS, it's like saying, "Hi I'm a used car salesman".

Then, would any of you suggest simply listing a property for sale on the MLS for a flat fee and save 3% in commissions if the homes have how DOM, the market is hot in the area, and you have it priced right? 

Some sellers will want to see a credit report, but in most cases it's a matter of them simply trusting that you know what you are doing and that you will be able to continue to make money with the property like they have. 

I'd like to attempt the same thing here in LA.

There are some people that will attempt to sell you a SFR in a terrible neighborhood that is basically falling down.

I simply am still seeing too much fear and not enough confidence to believe that people are taking the kinds of extreme risks they were in 2007-2008 to cause a major crash.