He told me that you are a lot less competitive with an online certification.

That will give you a much better picture of return for your efforts and allow you to compare just how much the $6k difference will make.Comments regarding paying full retail, keep in mind that J Scott is more of a flipper and his comments were likely based on that judging from his post, in a buy and hold scenario, often times, paying full or over retail will likely not get you cash flow which is why it is so important, particularly in this competitive market, to get a good deal and buy under market to achieve the cash flow returns worth the efforts.

These rent for $750-$850 and are somewhat readily available [I always have access to several of these turn key work horse properties].Some local MLS have low inventory and competition is fierce [like Indy].  

There is lots of really good competition in the flipping world in Denver.

Rents are through the roof and so is competition but the opportunity still exists.

Then everyone shows up and looks at it at the same time and it creates competitions.

I usually start the paint a little heavy in a small area and then start blending it out over a bigger and bigger area as the roller goes dry.

Have you gone with an agent and looked at the competition? 

Also, I know Austin is hot but pricing seems slim on the margins as well as competition.

If I find one deal a year that I make more than the annual price tag of the license AND/ONLY because I have a license/MLS access, I can assess the value, walkthrough the property and submit an offer ahead of my competition, is that really a con?