I'm an agent here as well - Responsive Finding good deals or helping them with number (comps)Not letting them buy a bad deal especially if they are newEducating them about how to structure your offer to make it most competitive/most investor friendly (rolling concessions into the loan to improve CoC Returns)

Is it typical to shop around when going through the pre qualification/financing stage to get the rate, the loan type, and the qualification amount that you want to become more competitive in buying a home?

I am going to look for some other property managers and see what they offer as competition but that aside I am trying to expand into more real estate while I am stationed in CA.

Very competitive rates.

There may be other competitive products out there, but make sure they integrate with your property management software well, provides (almost) real time reading, usage analysis and automated leak detection.Most of these meters are pretty easy to install. 

Obviously, you could go back further to the downfall of heavy industry, but with plans in place for redevelopment along the riverfront (https://www.norristown.org/424...) there is a ton of money being thrown at the area.

You will get better returns with less hassle by having an expert do the heavy lifting.

I am not saying this is impossible... just a very competitive field in an already competitive market.Probate leads, driving for dollars and any other lead source that puts you in direct contact with sellers can be one of the more effective ways to landing a deal.

In our market, even listing a space at really competitive lease rates, it still takes around 2 years to fill.  

Well once you have something picked out if you are not in a super competitive market you can always ask to see the last x months utility bills from the property.