Unless you find a real hidden gem, you have to go into it knowing and accepting the environment you are getting into. 

I used to own a condo in CA and if I had half a brain i would have held onto that gem but the past is the past.  

@Noah GraysonWilton is a serious gem!

It will not only get them excited to talk, they might just spill about something/some asset/gem that you haven't heard of yet!

What I'm finding in my search for this gem I hear of, is that all lenders, private or otherwise, want me to have a deal under contract first and then I apply for the financing for it.  

I sure hope someone does something with the mansion, what a gem of Longview history!  

I also am in the process of developing a list for my direct mail campaign and cold call campaign, as I have had a lot of luck with these two marketing tools with my current job and really believe I can find some gems by utilizing these tools.

@Dolly Caswell You can find some gems on craigslist.What I do is I post up ads for smaller jobs (replace one closet track set, install a doorknob, replace a garbage disposal) and give them a good hourly rate that most would be happy with (usually $20-30/hour they are more than happy).

It is the time and energy a wholesaler puts in to see if a property is a hidden gem before anyone else knows.

I would say that is probably higher than most houses of the same characteristics that you'd get in that area, as this house was a nice little gem with the school literally in the backyard.