Most of the leads you generate via cold calls, social media, and other marketing efforts won't transact or even meet with you for some time.Baseball players take dozens of swings in batting practice to prep for just 2-3 good pitches they'll see come gametime.

Meaning prioritize location, if your cash can get you 3 properties maybe go for 2 better one's. 4) Get a PM from the NARPM.

An experienced  " player "  has all, you need nothing !  

Prioritize and tier our the project by phases.

If it's an owner occupied unit sometimes I've found the big players like state farm to be pretty competitive on price. 

When an NBA player makes the too little sign after dunking on someone.

As Colin noted above it is hard to compete with the large players in the field.Where we found a better bang for our buck was getting on more channels like Marriott, Booking.com, and about 20 others. 

I’m looking to better understand what seasoned investors prioritize in this vibrant market, so any insights or experiences you can share would be greatly appreciated!

I haven’t heard the story of  the investor who rode the coat tails of a wholesaler to the same level of success but networking and building relationships with wholesalers seems to be prioritized over all others industry participants. 

The main players in this space are Guidance Residential and UIF, but it turns out that they may just be purchasing a Freddie/Fannie loan on the back end to finance the deal and then structure it differently for the buyer - which isn't in accordance with their religious rules.