Wanting to lean on some of fellow investors experience when it comes to technology that can help provide leads/ gain some insight into leads.

SMS was the primary lead gen.

But I'm hoping to lead guests to book Direct as much as possible so the OTA's can't sit on the deposits for months!  

:)The most important thing in wholesale real estate is to stay sharp on your lead and deal acquisition, as these are the main "products" you're selling.Investing in strong outbound and inbound strategies to find off-market properties and their sellers is the foundation for success.Good luck!

But this kind of info also leads to UBER competition, those buying homes to live in 90% of the time will out bid an investor though.

You're looking for a system like Batch Leads.

If the owner is open to hearing options then you can lead the way with your terms and balloon structure and see how they feel about it.

The right or wrong is in your attitude and agenda.In the boom years leading up to 08 our income was very unpredictable but pretty lucrative. 

One thing I am hearing is I need to be Lead Based Paint certified, even if only the contractor does all the work.

You can learn to do this independently or get a rockstar REALTOR to lead the way.