Id bet it all on black... and still come out equal to, or better than 98% of newbie wholesalers whether I won or lost. :)

Now depending on what it is you want to do you can start while you're active to make the transition a little smoother; spend the next 3-4 years acquiring a few rentals that can pay you when you get out and start the clock for you to use the income for loans qualification (requires 2 years LL experience).So I would say long term financially your best bet will be to get out; (big caveat here) assuming you are prepared in those other ways I mentioned.

The odds are higher that your purchase will be successful than not, but because you are not a professional, with the systems and resources behind you, your odds of a mistake are dramatically higher, and there is little margin for error in the auction game.I don't say all of that to scare you, I say it so that you set your expectations properly, and if you go into it fully aware, your chance of success increases.Good luck, and be careful!

Heck, start download podcast #1 and I bet you that by the time you reach #80 you can turn around and teach the guru yourself.  

Would the smart bet be to follow your realtor's lead on the starting bid?

Use those as wellPlease please please don't drop your rates if you are confident that you are competitive and don't go to giving a month free etc etc.I have had to wait before myself and once in a while you begin to wonder, what if or what's wrong, it's usually nothing, just some odd timing or just the group of people in the rental market at the moment.Don't get discouraged .......

Trust me, I have not been doing this a really long time, but you can always bet your repairs are always going to be way more than you project.

Your best bet is to find local banks with only a few branches.

I thought I was the odd man out taking such a conservative approach to prove myself 1st before reaching out to the "big dogs".

In Case your wondering, I am not a realtor, but have been investing in RE for 30 odd years and know when and where to ask for help.