So, many people in your area may not realize its negotiable and just assume its always handled a certain way.

You get to show buyers the same models over and over and do not take people all over town.

They repeatedly expressed dismay and said that very few people ask for a refund. 

As with most people starting out - having the 20%-30% equity to put in the deal is the challenge. 

At the same time, there's so many people on the fence, thinking prices are going to crash.

Ok so a diff path then my previous post.I also wanted to invest in real estate but just assume( and bet is probably true) that most of the people that find truly good investments have  either or all of the following the most "average joes" don't:1.

W2s, personal homes and K1s are usually straightforward and can be DIY-ed by most computer-savvy and financially-savvy people.

Im generally distrustful of most people/funds in the real estate world.

When you have a proven track record of performance, then you can play with other people's money. 

Please let me know as well if you are starting a group for people on Long Island.