@Vasudev Kirs I would keep an eye out for off market deals (easier said than done I know) but that way you don't have to worry about these bidding wars.

She is not a full-time employee, however, with numerous turnovers a year, she earns about $5,000.

In fact, we stayed over a friend's home during our numerous research trips there.

I haven't seen that change in the monthly market reports yet, BUT ... what I'm feeling on the ground when looking with clients the last two weeks is that more homes are going under contract the first weekend, a few even have bidding wars again. 

He was planning a bidding war and screwed himself over.

I recently saw a video on no-money real estate investing and I'm really pumped but I also want to be realistic and a good fit for my future real estate partner.Here's the link to that video if you're curious:There’s always money available IF1- The deal (investment) is VERY good, significantly better than the average deal2- The risk is lower than similar deals with the same investment return3 - The money partners are able to be totally PASSIVE - because the deal maker (sponsor) is experienced, educated, and honest.So, there are numerous ways to start, with some having a much greater chance of success than others.  

Despite listening to numerous podcasts about real estate investing, I'm struggling to take the first step.

Numerous books, articles, seminars, etc have come out touting the riches to be enjoyed in the STR business to the point that competition has become fierce6.

Off-market deals usually come with discounted prices, no bidding war, and less pressure.

So either we're one of the well prepared homeowners or just one of the suckers.The California Earthquake Authority has less than something like $10 billion in it's war chest.