And purchasing in a high end college town eliminates any "deals".

Mainly because I can craft the mortgage a little more (no pre-payment penalties, lower down payment, etc.) and eliminate the fees charged by lenders and brokers.One of the benefits of purchasing a listed property is that the broker will normally set the seller's expectations a bit more than you just contacting them off the street.It comes down to what the seller really wants: a certain price, interest, down payment, or term.

. ($325k downpayment should eliminate the tire kickers.) downside to your plan is you eliminate all the owner occupants as buyers.

Since I’ve increased my deal flow to a significant degree, I find that this technique eliminates the wasted time and effort of dealing with people who aren’t highly motivated to close a transaction.  

If it's a long-distance rehab, Facetime it.Do this often enough and it will limit (not 100% eliminate) the chances of missing something. 

Eliminate all popcorn ceilings, repaint everything, new flooring throughout, renovate bathrooms, add a bathroom, renovate the kitchen, improve outdoor living, improve curb appeal, and believe it or not, make the garage exceptionally nice.

Eliminate all popcorn ceilings, repaint everything, new flooring throughout, renovate bathrooms, add a bathroom, renovate the kitchen, improve outdoor living, improve curb appeal, and believe it or not, make the garage exceptionally nice.

Eliminate all popcorn ceilings, repaint everything, new flooring throughout, renovate bathrooms, add a bathroom, renovate the kitchen, improve outdoor living, improve curb appeal, and believe it or not, make the garage exceptionally nice.

Am I doing something wrong or is home warranty just an extra annual expense I should eliminate?

I'm coming across FB ads offering large lines of credit for businesses at zero percent rates, in other words, possibly eliminating the hard money lenders.