Good apartment brokers will know what's transacting as well as who the players are in the neighborhood and what the history is.

I think I can add value by doing that for her, but I have to make sure there's a solid chance of a deal (which could be tough without knowing all the players involved up front).

In most counties and Cook is an extreme example of this, auctions are dominated by very deep pocketed, very sophisticated investors.

Sam CravenNice to meet you, I'll start immediately contacting brokers and getting know the players in my area.

I know one landlord that tried to show dominance over the tenant.

I know most of the players in this space, and we can both tell you there are some shady players, while others simply come-and-go.

I'm a professional poker player but I file as a professional gambler for tax purposes - more write-offs.

Don't think there is no competition in small towns.Larger cities will have more people involved in RE, the competition may be more sophisticated, bigger players, more inventory but more feeding off it too.Smaller towns usually have slower turn over, a property that's difficult to sell is easier to buy.

Met them all through my day job and one is a big time player that actually started me on this journey of knowledge.

Learned a few new vocabulary terms I'd never heard of and saw some of the bigger players in the local market.