Quote from @Dylan Jeluso: This questions is the same question as getting your real estate license when doing flips, you have access to the MLS, you save money on the commission, and you have a little bit of a competitive advantage over the next person that is not licensed.

Lack of home sales?

If you have a competitive advantage in IN, I would go for it.

This range often lacks economies of scale and doesn’t attract institutional-level investors.

I decided to not buy more because it became just so competitive.

The lack of knowledge can get you into trouble.

Some owners would prefer a clearly defined floor even at the cost of not rising to the highest ceiling.While I hate to say it, there are also property owners who lack either the time, knowledge, inclination, or skill to want to manage their property effectively.

Banks are getting tighter and may have unperforming assets, so they are looking at their portfolios and becoming more picky, for lack of a better word.When the economy is ripping, banks loosen criteria.

If you are thinking Texas, the problem is so is everyone else, so your competition is much higher and unless your property is special, you can only compete on price.I hope this helps.

@Ramada Evans- 1) if buying as a rental and  financing it - your down payment will need to be a min of  15% of the  purchase price   ( so thats either  30,750 at 205K price or 32,850 at the 219K price ...so  not much of a down payment  difference   2) if it appears that there isnt much competition  or interest in theproperty - the lower price might be OK   3)  you might also consider   asking the seller for a seller  credit you can use towards some of your loan costs   4) get pre approved  if you arent already pre approved