Besides, most REI are focused on that same small group...which ends up developing a large group of competitors...all bidding against eachother, which in the end means they are all bidding against themselves.I start with the market to find the micro-markets where there is a collection of current buyers, past sellers, and current rentals that establish a common ground of value for flipping and/or holding properties of common type and size. 

Not sure how a competitor could use the number of units to their advantage.On the other hand, the number of units under management is not the best way to gauge a company's level of experience.

Have any of your colleagues or competitors stopped work on new properties?

It will need to be repaired by a contractor- luckily we have used a friend on the past two rental properties who always comes in at about 1/2 the cost of competitors in the area (estimate the cost will be somewhere around $10k).

So if you really like a particular contractor, toss a competitors  bid at the end to see if he will come down.

Who are the competitors?

While they are technically a competitor for housing, there’s a good chance they would be friendly and offer advice in the interest of their students and the community.

If you are looking for passive income I would suggest you look instead at the one advantage you have over your competitors as a military member - the VA loan!  

This is all about old school brokerages attempting to punish a new on the scene competitor.

I've been flipping, buy & hold, subject to - you name it for 25 years and I RARELY run into a competitor.