Beginning as a wholesaler

[Vincent Gnapi]

Hey everyone I still consider myself new to REI having joined this community about a month ago. To be short, with all of the info I've gathered from various posts, blogs, videos etc I'm convinced wholesaling is where I would want to start. I almost named this thread "Pieces to the puzzle" because although I've gathered great info here and there, I still feel there are pieces missing for me to really start. Here are the pieces & concepts I have so far; I understand the concept is finding distressed home owners (motivated sellers) willing to sell their properties at a "wholesale" cost, I come into an agreement contract, find an investor with the capital willing to buy and making a profit in between. However I have a few more questions I hope more experienced wholesalers can help me with.

What are some things you use as leverage for getting a home seller to lower their asking price?

Besides having an investor, a contractor and a real estate lawyer for contracts, what else would I need to in my arsenal? 

I'm putting the "pieces of the puzzle" in my mind for everything I would need as a wholesaler,  what else do I need that I haven't listed that you can share?

Thanks