Most of your major players in your market can spot a deal right away because they are so in tune with their farm area.

Small real estate investing in the Puget Sound region is red hot, with hundreds of local players and there are scores of established investors who can simply write a check for the full purchase price, if they like the deal.

(I'm sure someone will chime in with "you're asking for your home to be ruined" but I lived with 5 SDSU football players and not a thing went south).5) If students DID cause damage, security deposit will cover just about everything. 6) Usually, Financial aid or parents pay for rent, which means you don't have to be worried about not getting your monthly paycheck ;). 7) Lastly, I plan to fix it up in those 2-3 years that will attract the slightly more responsible tenant. 

Vestus is one of the big players down there, purchasing more than others... but I also watched how much they paid for some of those homes, and from my numbers, they definitely weren't all deals.

It was my goal having been in this space longer than just about anyone in the industry ( started in 2001) to give the public feedback and to root out some of the really poor players and maybe we have done that they are not on the site and are underground for fear of being outed. ? 

They did not respond so it appears they are another game player.

Many people waste years, in no thousands of dollars, before coming to this realization.There is still a roll for you to play, even if you're not "passionate about real estate".Think of it like a live professional sporting event...There are players on the field, fans in the stands and vendors (usually selling fan gear) inside and outside the stadium or arena.Everyone has a part to play, and when it goes well, everyone has a great time.The folks on the field are the ones who should be on the field.

@Bryan Hancock  Also I defiantly think this regional as well.1 million in certain markets for low value asset players can go a long way.in our markets here in Oregon and yours in Austin that's one house maybe 2 .. at least new build specs.and in most of the bay area or better parts of LA its one if your lucky  Same with high dollar east coast or north side Chicago etc.

In the Seattle market there are a couple players for HM, then a bunch of hacks.  

Generally auctions with large numbers of liens tend to get a lot of competition from national players.