Many wholesalers are actually selling the property, as far as can be determined from how they promote and advertise what they are doing.

NBT Bank had/has a promotional 6.5% commercial rate they were advertising this month. 

Are they hosting open houses, networking with neighbors that might know someone, promoting the listing for the reasons you listed? 

In declining his offer I would go ahead and set the expectation that you are granting him a promotional rent for this lease period only  and he should expect a rent increase at lease renewal.

Some folks will only book via the OTA based on a belief they have more protection, even if they've stayed w you before. 

Household Composition: 77008 shows balanced demand for both family-oriented housing and non-family units, promoting investments in single-family homes and high-quality apartments. 77063 indicates higher demand for rental units and smaller homes, focusing on apartments and affordable housing options.Despite higher entry costs and a lower percentage of renter-occupied units, 77008 appears to offer better prospects for appreciation and lower vacancy rates, making it a more suitable choice for investment.Greater Heights OverviewThe Greater Heights area (77008), often referred to as "The Heights," is renowned for its prime location offering a blend of amenities, top-rated schools, and abundant job opportunities.

Regardless if you have skills in finding deals or have access to capital, without a good network, you won't close the deal.I agree you need a good network in real estate, but my issue with this belief is that too many aspiring investors get caught up in the networking process and spend little to no time developing actual real estate skills (marketing, sales, negotiation, analysis).

Hey @George Iskaros, Given we are accountants, we cannot promote our services on BP as its against the rules.

The most interesting point of this post is that every time I hear or read about someone getting ripped off in real estate, there is always this long drawn out belief in all the lies that eventually everything will be made whole.

Preferably contact them by e-mail as we are not allow to self promote.