But it seems to me that referral clubs only real value is vetting suppliers.

Do you have a CLUE how many big players still make a fortune wholesaling?

Remember, the first deal is not meant to make you money, it’s meant to get you into the 6% club (only 6% of Americans own one or more rental properties)  Get into the club and figure out which direction you want to scale.If I were to start all over again, knowing what I know now, and assuming I had some good cash to work with (I was broke as a joke when I started), I would have done small commercial all the way.  

With so much out of our control with military orders, we were fortunate.

Fortunately, the investors I partner with have plenty of room in their lines of credit to support multiple deals and still have a sizeable buffer before they max out the credit.

If the renter has no way to take care of the pets and you do not want to keep them due to their cuteness and friendliness, then an option might have to be a no kill shelter.https://www.nokillnetwork.org/ Fortunately no pets

Fortunately, most of them are unaware or unwilling to fight.

When I have some free time, I'll research other options that won't cost a fortune for the small guy.

They may easily discover the clubs, investors/end buyers themselves and just sell their property to a highest bidder without sharing proceeds with a wholesaler.

From google: “The Fair Housing Act (FHA) does not apply to certain types of rentals, including: Owner-occupied buildings: If the building has four or fewer units and is owned by the person who lives there Single-family homes: If the owner rents or sells the home without using a real estate agent, and they own no more than three homes Religious organizations: If the property is only available to members of the organization's religion Private clubs: If the property is only available to members of the club Senior housing: If the property is designated for people who are at least 55 years old Even if a property is exempt from the FHA, it must still comply with the law's ban on discriminatory statements, notices, or advertising.