@Adam Craig to "yes and" what @Jason DiClemente said, with your deal volume which can establish a pattern of track record under certain conditions/approaches, lessons learned, strong relationships that give you an edge with sourcing or value-add...making a case should be very doable for you to private money investors. 

I have to second the notion that it is well worth flying into your targeted market to get a good feel for the area as well as shake hands with your prospective “team”.While selecting markets, most of the top Midwest cities have been mentioned here so from there it is a matter of looking into job growth, development, vacancy rates and weather patterns.

I use some kind of wood pattern with a strong grain to hide scratches & blemishes.

It's not always an easy task.What you can do is search by last name on property records and see if you can come up with some sort of "pattern".

This helps to distinguish a pattern of responsibility to help prove that you are not just taking money out when you feel like it.

Is there like sort of a pattern or so?

In my search for properties I am seeing a pattern of diminishing returns on rents as the number of rooms increases in a home.

Material costs can vary greatly depending on manafacturer so it's hard to say but you could get a decent no pattern low pile carpet and pad combo for between 10 and 13 per SY. 

Unless an applicant is really hounding us, we normally keep them in a holding pattern until we offer the unit, then tell all the unsuccessful applicants that we found a more qualified applicant.  

Am in holding pattern until further notice.The buyers are in a foreclosure on their present home that is underwater, and there were some other financial problems too.They are just wanting to downsize and get a fresh start.