Good in the long term so I didn't have to worry about the utility bill but like you mentioned - high upfront costs and time consuming. - Equal Splitting (ratio utility billing) - What I've heard from lawyer friends who practice real estate law is a trending spike in resident issues.

If there's fewer transactions, there's less opportunity for wholesalers to skim off the top.Also, wholesalers typically work with investors and with rates higher, investors have less room to pay for wholesaler fees when their net yields are already significantly compressed due to having to pay more for debt.

In 2024, back-to-school and back-to-college spending has dropped as consumers adopt a more cautious approach following the pandemic surge.

I'll answer from a consumer point first.

But their technique is to make it more profitable to save your money than to spend it on real estate and cars (the two biggest driving forces in consumer spending).  

This can lead to faster leasing and fewer vacancies. 2.

There's a lot of lobbying by NAR and the other associations, too.Most consumers don't know how any of these things work and don't want to, and would sue anyone in a heartbeat if anything went wrong, so it's important to keep that in mind.There is always the path of becoming a wholesaler, if you really do know what you are doing.

Frequently the price is higher than a consumer would get if they contracted directly with a contractor.  

If I were to purchase a SFR from a consumer I would INSIST that they employ an attorney. 

But now I prefer to keep fewer debt free quality properties, which are easy to keep rented with great tenants, and check out of the leverage game.