Welcome to the Pacific Northwest, make sure you give the hiking trails a try at some point.I am not able to mentor anyone myself, but I would advise you on a couple of tips for seeking out someone(s) to learn from:What do you bring to the table other than hard work and willingness to learn? 

Are they not able to easily sniff this out, if they are do they not care about it? 

Jasmine,I am not able to answer that question specifically, but I would recommend "Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide" published by NOLO, if you have not read it yet.

My husband quit his job to focus on doing what the mentor said 24/7 and was still not able to make one deal happen.

Anadarko Moving to MidlandMIDLAND (Realty News Report) – Houston-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp. will build its regional headquarters in the 38-acre Westridge Commons mixed-use development.The company will be the first...

My background is similar to yours, I started at Price Waterhouse and learned the real estate syndication business by doing tax work for a giant Wall Street syndicator.

-if not able to sell, he will continue to rent to current tenants and hire property management. he no longer wants to deal with repairs etc but likes the cash flow.So 1st option is to throw out a low cash offer of what i can realistically pay to rehab and sell retail = 120k option number 2= pay off mortgage + cash to pocket and convince him to do an owner finance since he doesn't mind the cash flow. option 3= a lease option or  a master leasebut not sure how to structure this or if its feasible to me and the seller.from my understanding most master leases are usually done on apt buildings. and lease options are usually done on a vacant single family.

Or are you not able to get the names?

I had a few deals but physically I was not able to do the continual walking that NY City's apartment market required and the agency's I worked with didn't have sales so I went and got another job.

How about a yellow letter or post card saying to some effect, " i see your selling your house, if are not able to get your price give me a call........"