I spent a lot of time researching not only windows and doors, but also my competitors pricing to find out how I could be successful in the space. 

I am looking into this method so as to get ahead of my competitors and offer homes to a wider range of buyers.

I was able to get my bank to commit to 10 years at 5% today (15yr AMT) because they were matching a competitor.  

I discover that the house was completely updated and sold the year before by a flipping competitor.  

Other competitors are businesses like HouseBuyerNetwork.com and ZBuyer.com.You'll find there are 2 kinds - exclusive leads which only you get and cost maybe $100 each, and non-exclusive leads which are sold to multiple investors at a fraction of the cost, but also a fraction of the value.  

If a deal doesn't pass and falls through, thier buyer is back out looking, depending on thier agreement, it can expire and the Realtor may see you as a possible competitor.

The two apartment REITs I got a chance to analyze yesterday are AlavonBay Communities (AYB) and its competitor Archstone-Smith Trust (ASN).

The software allowed me to obtain deals for hundreds of dollars while my competitors were spending thousands.

Chris Kirkland is a competitor, but he's a no-nonsense guy and I consider him a trustworthy friend.  

So far this year I deducted about $1800 with a swipe of my finger.