An agent is not guaranteeing you a purchase or a sale.  

For example, population growth in certain neighborhoods and increased investor activity have created opportunities for both long-term rentals and value-add deals.If you’re torn between wholesaling and holding long-term rentals, I’d suggest thinking about your long-term goals.

There are two issues (opportunities?) 

All the opportunity, weather, food, and culture you can ask for.

Since you can't control the sale price, you basically have a $4k cushion to your reno costs, or otherwise you lose money compared to the as-is scenario.

.: Quote from @Basit Siddiqi: I think it lies in that a lot of service providers in the real estate space are incentivized(money wise) to promote thier business.Real Estate agents are a small business, the more clients they have, the more money they make.Property managers are a small business, the more clients they have, the more money they make.Lenders, correct me if im wrong, are tied to some sort of bonus structure, the more loans they generate, the more money they make.More promotion leads to more awareness which leads to more money With all do respect I think REA's are commissioned sales people.

It would be a great opportunity to extend out to some real estate professionals.

And since you are licensed, you can potentially do some sales on the side to increase income and save up for investing.

Plenty of opportunity within driving distance. 

If you have any leads or information, I would love to connect and discuss potential opportunities.