Specifically, I'm exploring wholesaling and creative financing deals for SFH, but finding those exclusive, hidden-gem deals is tough, especially on a tighter budget. 

I would advise that you join the club, go to several meetings and then pick an expert that seems to have the most experience and has documented instructions/material.  

There are always hidden, costly surprises. 

Although this will be instructional, you will probably also get to see the "thinking" and "concerns" about the project from my viewpoint at different stages.

After that he will look into converting the detached garage into an ADU; so turning a SFH into 3 doors.Finding the hidden value and being committed to the long term process goes a long way in this area for sure.

Which means that lenders don’t have much say in these loans – they have to follow the rules they are instructed to follow.Portfolio - I'll define these loans as loans that come from the bank's own "portfolio" of money.

This is a hidden benefit that is hard to calculate.

@Dave Sofio HUBZU, just like every other REO auctions site, takes their instructions from the bank owning the property.

As far as I know and absent instructions from the seller to the contrary, I believe that the requirement to present all offers is universal in the USA.Some of the other practices you're describing are abhorrent and most likely violate state law and NAR's Code of Ethics, which apply only to NAR members - but most of those COE guidelines will be reproduced in state law.Bribing an agent with Amazon gift cards? 

In the book, Rich Dad Advisors: ABCs of Real Estate Investing: The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss by Ken McElroy, he says to evaluate a commercial/multi-unit property and asking price by taking your NOI/cap rate and that should be your offer price.