There is definitely a distinction between the two, as @Michael Biggs and @Jacob Sampson pointed out.  

http://features.aol.com/video/dangers-buying-flipped-house

@Brandyn Duff This still looks fraught with danger.

It is still a very dangerous area (we hear gunshots weekly), however it is definitely developing.

I wish I had an easy, one stop, quick solution to this tricky and even dangerous social problem as it relates to landlords...

The only way this investment makes sense long term is with appreciation and that is a dangerous way to invest in buy and hold. 

The owner was in the same position as yours was; owed nothing on the property, but was in a bad position finance wise in which she was in danger to losing the house to the county government due to not being able to afford taxes.

@Bill Gulley knows what he is talking about re: regulations and ethics.Wholesaling is in 2 distinct camps IMO on BiggerPockets.Camp 1: It is the wild west.

I know it's dangerous to generalize, but it would be interesting to know what the  BiggerPocket community thinks of the recent survey by Action.com that was posted in Appraiser News Online that states that real estate investors prefer to flip homes rather than hold them in a portfolio. 

I think it's important to make the distinction between underwriting and performance.