The area is hot (for a city that doesn't have highs and lows), but I bought at a big discount."

I also take advantage of the discounted rate to ship bulk through USPS.

Or would have tried to negotiate a discount on the first?

I would imagine that it will be easier to convince a potential seller to list the property with you at or near the retail value vs. trying to convince them to sell to you at a large enough discount for you to then profitably wholesale or rehab the property.

They also give a great investor discount.

Fire damaged homes can be a great way to pick up a property at a discounted price, however there are items that need consideration.

I discounted for the fact that it is adjacent to a road that is undergoing widening for the next year, rehab costs, holding costs, investor discount, and then I was stuck eating 7% on selling the thing, so I deducted that as well.

I hope too your are discounting income sufficiently and the blue sky as a PM is very "personality of the individual" oriented business.Do you have a RE Broker's license?

I worked a little SORT OF........I found a memorial day discount on a massage chair I had been wanting and I bought it!!

Unless you know the seller's motivation and know which button is the right one to push, it's hard to convince someone to sell you a property at a discounted price.