However, the good deals tend to smooth out the bad.

People love to talk about their home, so this can be a great question to get them talking if the conversation isn't flowing too smoothly (it also helps you uncover important information about the condition of the home). 

I informed her that I would help her find a new place for no charge-I just wanted to do whatever I needed to do to get this deal done smoothly and quickly.

If you want to smooth out your guessing work you may try yahoo's online valuation.

Plenty of homeowners are okay with you making money on an assignment if you can actually get them a quick, smooth close.

Update:Everything is going smooth on the purchase of our 14 houses.  

However, thanks to BP I had the "cash for keys" tool at my disposal and allowed me to close the transaction smoothly.  

I would think it would take someone experienced with people to ensure a smooth, natural delivery so that it doesn't sound like someone is reading from a piece of paper.

And if you dont use a broker who is free for you as the buyer, you now have to hire an attorney to draft up docs and then you have to figure out the title and the lending and then bring them all together to make the transaction run smoothly. 

Congrats on what sounds like a pretty smooth transaction.