But i heard that there's scammers who prey on new listing discounts to try to take advantage of new hosts.. is this something I should be concerned about?

I don't know of any top producing agents who are with discount brokers.

In other news, it may be tempting to purchase a waterfront property at a deep discount along the Western Coast but beware, you might get flooded in the next hurricane unless you want to do a teardwon and build on stilts. 

still a 50% apr for us even with that discount but we are not long term holders

I love home depot because i get military discount there!

I've done BRRRRs in Milwaukee for almost 15 years, but things have changed around 2020: I have a hard time buying quality properties where I get a discount that even matches rehab cost. 

Then in the next rent cycle 1 tenant moved out and the new replacement paid the old rent sans the $50 discount, and in the second year the other tenant's rent was raised $50, so we were back to the original rent. 

Pricing tools that exist on the market are decent, but you also need to know how to control it, otherwise, it will go nuts with unrealistic rates far out and extreme last-minute discounts. 

Besides all the benefits of real estate, I like the control I have, and I like the discounts on the purchase price, I'm able to get. 

However, you may be able to get the property at a discount, step in, and solve the problem.