Not particularly difficult.But in a business where there is no barrier to entry, the competition is high, and right now it's probably higher than its ever been.My personal advice is to get your license, hang it somewhere and do real estate properly, and that will take time and dedication, and a lot of sacrifice on your behalf. 

In your experience, where does your competition spend most of their time and efforts? 

You can't get a 30% discount on the MLS because even if it is listed that low the competition will bid it up.In my opinion, the only way to get consistent discounts is to get off-market deals.

Really you just need to check out your competition and see where they are priced, not just the houses listed but the ones that are actually selling

I feel they are very competitive, however I don't know what the pricing looks like in your area, so you will need to check into that for yourself.

The masses seem to preach direct mail as the tried and true way, but like Alex mentioned, in this competitive market is direct mail a viable option for those who don't have a budget of $3,000+/month.Any feedback and statistics (response rates, deal conversion rates etc.) from people currently doing direct mail in SoCal would be greatly appreciated. 

But in a decent or competitive market, it just means leaving money on the table as you would have filled it with decent tenants at average rents.  

Since the market is quit competitive now, you might find it hard to buy at the right price.  

All in all Houston is competitive but also a healthy rental market.

Or do I see it as an opportunity for little to no competition for flipping in the area?