very tough to find deals, on the MLS it's very competitive, I guess hgtv popularised "flipping"Especially at the lower price points where everyone is playing in the same pool.

There is a good amount of competition nowadays in the campus town area with all the new units built over the last 5 years and if you don't already have leases on all the units you could be looking at some vacancy for the first year of ownership.  

competition is fierce and this is the big home buying season.

The crappiest neighborhoods have less competition, the great neighborhoods have a lot more.People live in good and the bad areas.

That will be your competition.

My experience with Eagle Bank has been that they are very investor friendly (I was able to get 15% down at a very good rate) and extremely competitive rates on investment properties.  

Put property in LLC's name, and use commercial financing options (which are not at all competitive or comparable to residential loan products).2.

Do the right research, put in the right time, find the right property, and structure it the right way and you'll be leagues ahead of your colleagues or competition, depending on how you view them.

In NOVA area I recommend gathering the right team member to help execute in this competitive market.

It is much easier in the current competitive REI environment to enter homes and make offers when you don't have to wait around for other agents to get you in the door.