The house needed to have atleast 2 stand out features from the rest of the homes I was looking at.

Two people really stand out .First one says they need to move in by the first of July .

This doesn't mean it is impossible, it just means that you will need to find a way to stand out against your competitors.

Making strong offers  and displaying a solid ability to close will stand out more than the buyer's name.

@Fabian Martinez Yes, I do think it's worthwhile to invest in STRs here, but you have to really know what you're doing and create a really amazing and unique experience for your guests in order to stand out, because there are A LOT of really amazing STRs out here, and even more that will be launching within the next year.

Not sure how they negotiate the commission behind the scenes, but my offer always seems to stand out and gets me the deal.  

My lender helped me to stand out by calling the listing agent and detailing his confidence in my ability to perform on the terms we'd agreed to.

It truly shaped who I am today and many of the decisions I made after are attributed to my experience during the recession. 

However, I've noticed that arguably the most important Attribute is being able to  "pull the trigger".

I guess the downside risk is if something happens in the common area that would be an additional expense out of my pocket unless it was directly attributable to a specific tenant.