I am not looking for suggestions on changing our strategy (since we all have our own strategies) I am just curious to know what I can expect specifically as far as financing loopholes or issues we may encounter. 

Almost every "wholesaler" I encounter is trying to pitch MLS listed REO properties. 

What are the challenges your encounter in Trenton.

Don't do the "mailbox stickers" lol

What kind of "finders fees" or offers have you encountered?  

And I'm not one to pay sticker price for anything, so I buy these houses for $5000 and replace all the major systems up front for a maintenance-free house for a good long while.

I've seen many listings which were obviously incomplete in terms of the costs that an owner would encounter in real life.

What were the assessments you encountered?  

When a contractor bids a job, he adds a percentage to the job to cover the small setbacks and over-runs, but problems can be encountered that can eat the cushion up in a hurry.

Plus I wanted to shorten my learning curve and have that one on one communication as I encounter issues.