Also I see a lot of bandit signs and "lawn darts" (little flags on a stiff wire with a message on the flag).

You need a stiff spine to make these work IMO.

This is the product of a bunch of years run up in the market, too many people watching HGTV shows and think it is so easy, and the gurus selling their BS programs suggesting to newbies to start wholesaling as their first go at investing since it can be done with no money, no credit, no brains, and no skills.You are now seeing and receiving the product of these circumstances first hand, good luck stopping it yourself, only a nice stiff market correction sending many to the poor house will stop it for a bit, then the cycle will repeat again.

What we do to hedge against a possible short-term depreciation cycle is that we look for value add RE that ideally we purchase below retail (but competition is stiff so purchasing significantly below retail requires networking, marketing, etc). 

Every real estate strategy, every real estate investor, faces stiff competition for the deal. 

Pretty stiff fees if you have to cancel bookings.

We went in with our highest and best right away because we knew competition would be stiff.

If you do, you are "practicing real estate without a license", which is subject to some pretty stiff penalties and fines.

Only Issue is the prices in DC are through the roof and the competition is extremely stiff. 

Don’t think he is going to stiff me just need to get him going.