I have seen it on padsplits in ATL on the brokerage side - best way to mitigate risk is on the purchase AND exterior maintenance. 

Look into off market properties in your area- whether through Facebook or an investment brokerage like New Western. 

Our Brokerage runs the largest REI networking group in Lansing.

Kris Hey Kris - I'm the owner of a brokerage in South Bend that specializes in working with out of state investors.

It's one of the reasons I left and started my own brokerage, but that may not be what you want to do either. 

But as some one who was raised in this business has owned 3 brokerages I can tell you that only 10 to 20% of agents make 80% of the revenue wash out rate is high.. with Wholesaling I suggest that only 5 % who try it are still doing it in a year and in any given market there will be a handful of wholesalers that do pretty good to very good the rest just trundle along now granted if they make 50 to 100k a year in the mid west and were used to making 20 to 30k in their JOB this is a big improvement over where they were at..

Thanks guys - my partner does the Brokerage and we were discussing how to address the commission - we are fine paying just debating how to handle the upfront question when the Buyers agent calls about the listing ...My thoughts were to simply state that Seller is fine paying a commission and put it in the offer - and he wants to offer the % upfront ... 

No small hill to climb starting a mortgage/note brokerage.

I run the land brokerage arm at Newmark in Houston and sell development sites primarily.

I have researched the top brokerages in major metropolitan areas, and I'm reaching out to them Via email and phone calls.