The vacant lot next door was owned by Atlanta Habitat (for which I volunteer), so being a fan, I thought this neighborhood was ripe for regentrification.  

I just bought a fixer in a very desirable neighborhood.

There is definitely more respond from owners which are not Large organizations, but i also got some of these. the large ownership groups typically can take longer to make a decision.

The best thing for me was farming a neighborhood and finding motivated sellers in them.

As a wholesaler, are you driving neighborhoods, and knocking on 'ugly houses' to see if they're interested?

I haven't done any deals yet as I'm trying to get all my information organized.

The area is in a neighborhood that is changing for the better very quickly.

Rents in the neighborhood go for $1500-$1700 depending on how the upgraded the unit is.

If you were thinking about buying a vacation rental in a more coastal neighborhood like Mission Beach or La Jolla (where the cost essentially necessitates the escalated income of an STR), I would likely advise you to wait to see where things go legislatively.However, the neighborhood you mentioned are not necessarily in that same category.

Nonetheless, even with their long experience, they often barely make a profit, which they say they don't mind - because their goal is to gentrify the whole neighborhood, one property at a time.