Here's an article I wrote on how you can stand out as a wholesaler - should be helpful for ya: http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/4430/blog_posts/32194-attention-wholesalers-2-ways-to-stand-out-from-your-competition

My conclusion is that the bidding is highly competitive.

You will probably have much less competition than mailing to absentee owners.The other side of the coin is you are looking for real motivation, and you have to be at the right place at the right time.

In a statement, Steve Berkowitz, CEO of Move said, “we take our trade secrets and intellectual property extremely seriously as a valuable asset in our competitive position in the marketplace.

And if I bought well enough, they would roll purchase price, rehab and 6 months payments into that loan and keep it in escrow, released as necessary.Those lenders got stuck with a lot of inventory after the downturn and aren't lending any longer that way.I think it all depends on your local market and what different people perceive as a risk or not and what they see their competition doing.

DC is packed with investors that have deep networks and deeper pockets, highly competitive and, as you already know, EXPENSIVE.

My renters pay the utilities and they choose where to get their electricity from.That is the only utility choice that I am aware of other than water wells and septic systems.Lessons from Texas...When our state first went to deregulation it was supposed to provide price competition that would lead to lower prices.

If you have to participate in an auction you increase your competition.

If there isn't much competition in your area or if you are the only investor the seller is calling then that might be fine, but in a market with stiff competition you will have to bring a strong offer.

This  gives the under the radar bunch a competitive advantage in a market that almost completely driven by price.Rehabbers on the other hand are trying to keep costs as low as possible because it is already hard finding properties at the price point were you can make any money when adding in Realtor and closing fees which generally add 8-10percent to the equation.Would love to here others opinions on the topic.Thanks and have a great day.