And many investors have paused their buying so I’m seeing less competition and able to make low ball offers to secure these homes.

Conventional financing will offer the most competitive rates but can be more income restrictive and can be unscalable as investor portfolio expand.

Being on the higher end of things helps with less competition, CoC returns 8-15%+ definitely still more than possible!

The intent is to cut down on the cost of applying for rentals, particularly for renters that have to apply more than once in a competitive market.Do you support this?

HML just went to private money to give the allusion that you are going to find some rich doctor that is going to lend you money at 5%. private money  hard money is quite competitive these days.. you can plan on 2 to 4 points up front at close and 10 to 15% interest  plus junk fees and rehab draw fees appraisal fees etc etc. some of the larger national lenders have their pricing very well spelled out on their websites you may want to get a baseline from themKiaviLima one Lending oneetc etc..

The only answer is that you own a fraction of the units. 

The local lender typically lives in the area and understands the market, which could help get you a more competitive interest rate, a timelier appraisal, and result in an overall more streamlined process.

Tried to get back into the REI game to buy a rental in early 2022, but I was only looking in "A" markets (had a single realtor giving me all the advice), and competition was way too hot, so I hit the pause.

If yours isn't renting, it's possibly priced to high compared to the competition. 

@Lucas Schlund there are logically, 3 options:1) Buy Cash: PROS: You can get better prices on houses because you can close faster with motivated sellers and buy houses that need repairs to qualify for a mortgage (less buyer competition)CONS: takes the longest to save the funds2) Use Rehab Loan:PROS: Same as #1CONS: more expensive loans:---FHA 203(k): not that expensive, but must live in the property for 12 months before renting---DSR Rehab loan: relatively expensive and may need experience to qualify3) Mortgage on Property with Cosmetic Repairs:PROS: easiest & cheapest to doCONS: lots of competition, so can be hard to find a "deal"PM us if you'd like to discuss these in more detail.