Doesn't that pose as a disadvantage for people like me who are new and don't have connections to said sellers? 

If they are paying more for 4 units then other investors are paying for 5, they are at a disadvantage or in effect purchasing the financing by paying more per unit.    

Is there any inherent economies of scale that make it disadvantageous to be small?

If your competition can tout this but you can’t, you are at a disadvantage.

That is where I am at a bit of a disadvantage, because we don't really know yet what to expect.It is a large house that can accomodate 8 to 10 people, 5 miles from Mount Snow in Dover VT.  

@Tyler D'Alessandro Appreciation is great, but I would just like to point out that flipping is highly disadvantageous when compared against a buy and hold approach due to (a) Short term capital gains taxes (b) Transaction fees - agent/lawyer (c) No depreciation benefitCash flow is great, often at the expense of appreciation though, but the question is how well can you redeploy said cash flow?

Each Tacoma neighborhood has its own feel and offers different advantages and disadvantages.

If not, I think you're at an incredible disadvantage as a long-distance investor with no team on the ground.Where do you have an existing network that you can tap into?

Are there really any disadvantages about using hard money lenders?

Hello, I'm curious about the advantages and disadvantages of paying off my investment property.