So far you haven't mentioned any "other" strategies, other than the typical ones...that are greatly impacted by which way the wind blows (economy) and have a lot of competition to get...because everyone else is trying to do the same thing...for the same deals. 

The market has gotten so competitive in our usual hunting grounds that we've moved our target.

It warrants further discussion and thought if you want to stay competitive as a larger business.

MF is EXTREMELY competitive these days and these deals are still around but hard to find.

@Kade Eiguren  Look at your competition and their performance. 

Again, SFH would be most ideal, but given the location/prices/competition I'm just a little discouraged and feeling like that's probably out of the picture.I know this has been a long ranting read, so if you've made it this far I appreciate it.

Competitive offer must be presented for validation with surname blacked out for privacy".The risk of using an escalation clause is that you've revealed your maximum price. 

I’d like to talk to you about possible JV flips and partnering, if you are interested and decide you’d like to go that route I’d be willing to pay competitive returns for the opportunity.

@Cindy Gonzalez  You wouldn't be too optimistic, but the market here is highly competitive.

With the increased competition in our area, I’m finding that any way to differentiate yourself from the crowd is important.