I'm a wholesaler, and as the title suggests, I want to become a Real Estate Agent's "assistant" so that I'm allowed access to the MLS.

As @Michael Jones has mentioned it shouldn't stop your investment consideration if it still makes sense. 

I feel your pain but think of it this way now you can get a long term tenant and stop working so hard.

Higher interest rates hurt cash flow some, but it wont stop me from buying property.

I'm hoping to find someone in the Philadelphia area who is currently working on a flip so that I can stop by and see how the project is going to learn for my flips.

Is it just me, or when you get wholesaler emails about their "Deals", or see "Deals" posted here or other forums/facebook do you want to stop looking at these posts/emails, lite your head on fire and then calm click REPLY,  type "NOT A DEAL" and push send?

Overall the cost is significant for that access.

But I am also witnessing as well as organizing a newer more scalable model providing for a more cloud-based, remote, less-than-full service--model that is appealing for a large amount of investors and property owners who are interested in receiving many of the traditional services (rent collection, bookkeeping, leasing, noticing, maintenance coordination, answering phones, etc.) but who would be willing to pay about 1/2 the monthly fee in exchange for participating by physically being present to allow access, showings, servicing notices, etc.

“"There is so much subjectivity; housing access relies exclusively on landlords' feelings about a tenant," says Eudaly policy director Jamey Duhamel.

When the bust hit there was lots of inventory but banks immediately stopped lending.