A few questions a lender would ask you based on this post.

Based on what you shared, if you are competing with wholesalers you are likely in the most competitive price point space on the MLS.

I'm open to hear thoughts and opinions on best markets in those 2 states (or any other promising markets based on the criteria I outlined above) that I should focus on as a first-time investor.

All that being said I love living in the area it is close to Destin and the bases and very close to the water, much of the city is walking distance to a the water. 

Thousand Oaks, Stone Oak, Encino Park, Bulverde, etc) Schertz/Cibilo (not far from military bases, easy access to Austin/New Braunfels, up and coming/ many new nice neighborhoods) If the price range is  $175-250, I would look near Sea world and the west side.

Selling you a product is easy but relating to you based on their personal expierence is not.

Okay just to keep things in perspective, I think Pacific Heights - fictional Hollywood thriller not based on a true story - is a great example of  "1990 in cinema" or "Films featuring Melanie Griffith," but maybe  not a great example of what happens when you wait a day or two to figure out a best course of action to deal with people. 

It’s going to go away from a commission based model (which to me never really made sense but not complaining about it). 25 years ago when there really wasn’t online listings and you would check the newspaper or call agents for listings times have changed and commissions made sense.

As agent count drops, the cost of these items has to increase to offset the drop. 

Another avenue would to get on the Facebook groups and identify local real estate groups based in Miami.