Maybe I was too ambitious by expecting to get a solid property in a solid area for $100k below assessment with no competition... but man, I am going to have to up my game! 

Your listing is really pricey compared to your competition. 

I told him to talk to me before signing with an agent as I know it will cost him 5-6% additional which would reflect on a price increase plus I have to deal with competition.

When researching the competition, you must compare like to like properties.

This has had a net positive effect on mortgage rates with prime Government and Conventional (FHA/VA) often beginning with a 5 in the front and some DSCR rates now in the 6%'s...The on the ground response is likely a dramatic increase in buyer activity/competition.

The difference in this portion of the execution can be $30k-$60k/yr more money in your pocket vs. that of our competition all other factors equal (such as the property size/location).Next, to drive costs down, I co-host (only for clients) at 15% which is 5-15% less than the large PM firms.

There was a time when to be competitive in this market your best option would have been to pay cash, but with current market conditions I do not think that is necessary. 

Less competition: With less attention from institutional investors, individual buyers often face less fierce bidding wars.6.

In fact, only 0.75 acre of it can be used - the rest contains of steep hills, cliffs, heavy rocks - no way that can be used for anything (I was fully aware of that).

For me I tend to look for markets not on the lists because maybe less people will be investing there and prices will be more competitive.