If you like the area and the volume of availability, you need to make a trip.

You have about 10% the volume of foreclosures that that was 10 years ago....with more wholesalers/investors going than ever going after that same pool.

I really want to do handwritten letters (it worked pretty well for me in the past) but the volume I’m doing now, handwritten is so time consuming.

When compared to the last “normal” February, in 2020, sales volume increased 23.3 percent;-Days on Market (DOM) for single-family homes dropped from 48 to 41;-Total property sales rose 25.6 percent with 9,299 units sold;-Total dollar volume increased 43.5 percent to $3.5 billion;-The single-family average price rose 13.4 percent to $395,871, the highest of all time;-The single-family median price increased 19.3 percent to $328,000 – also a record;-Single-family home months of inventory registered a 1.3-months supply, down from 1.5 months year-over-year and below the national inventory of 1.6 months;-Townhome/condominium sales jumped 35.9 percent with the average price up 22.4 percent to $266,366 and the median price up 26.8 percent to $225,00 – both record highs;-Single-family home rentals rose 23.8 percent with the average rent up 6.5 percent to $2,052; -Townhome/condominium leases decreased 1.0 percent with the average rent up 7.9 percent to $1,767.

https://www.har.com/content/newsroom/Houston Real Estate Highlights in August:-Following a record-setting performance in July, single-family home sales held to positive territory again in August, rising 6.0 percent year-over-year with 9,195 units sold;-The Days on Market (DOM) figure for single-family homes lowered from 53 to 51 days;-Total property sales rose 7.3 percent with 11,121 units sold;-Total dollar volume jumped 13.4 percent to $3.5 billion;-The single-family home median price rose 7.6 percent to $269,000 – the second highest median price of all time;-The single-family home average price increased 7.8 percent to $334,256 – the second highest average price in history;-Single-family homes months of inventory registered a 2.8-months supply, down from 4.1 months last August and below the national inventory level of 3.1 months;-Townhome/condominium sales rose 1.3 percent, with the average price up 4.5 percent to $216,733 and the median price up 1.7 percent to $175,000;-Single-family home rentals dropped 13.3 percent with the average rent up 2.3 percent to $1,961;-Townhome/condominium leases fell 13.7 percent with the average rent up 1.0 percent to $1,654.

I bet he can help you.from my perspective to cut the rental house pie that much to me is not something I would do or contemplate how to do.unless your doing like Shiloh and doing volume.

Settlement fees will vary slightly.in our area title insurance rates are set  every carrier has the same.. and for one off purchase or a few a year I don't see many settlement companies negotiating rates.. although the OP is in New York and attorney state so nothing keeping and attorney from adjusting their settlement charges.. 1k for title and escrow is cheap.. not sure what the heartburn is..  

If we choose to work with investors, we know that we are banking on volume over time and not price point in the beginning.

They do get easier in time.I was talking with a team leader I know who does $40 million or more in annual volume (with a small team of a couple agents a transaction coordinator, and a marketing/inbound sales rep). 

Volume is up now and the markets are better in a lot of areas.You could also use your old contacts for attorneys, buyers, sellers, tax accountants, etc. to hunt for deals.