@Tony Dragoo   I think that is a regional question and a market question.. if you in a non appreciating market and I would describe that as a market that moves 1 to 3% a year if your lucky compared to say SF Bay Area.. then I would not worry about owning .. but if you west coast  upper east coast DC  and other areas were you can get priced out of entry level I would buy first.  

Its regionalized in areas were if your goal is to buy SFR's and there are plethora's of them then probably not that important as agents will bring them to you and you will always have deals to bid on.But if your in Very tight inventory markets were wholesaling is not nearly as prevalent as other areas.

@Nancy Larcom Yep, there are local and regional variations as well.  

Hello,I am looking for an investor friendly real estate agent in the Rhode Island/souther MASS region.  

As you may have seen on the news (not sure if it's national news, but at least regional) my entire area is flooded.

There are contracts in the FilePlace here, but in case there are "region specific" clauses that are necessary, it would be best to have a local professional look it over.

Here are some of the reasons (in order) that I think can make a depressed/stagnant region unattractive:- Government.

Appreciation is ultimately driven by regional population growth.

Generally you'll need to inquire of smaller, regional banks and credit unions to see if they offer portfolio loans.  

Maybe try one national bank and a couple local or regional banks.