That seemed to do the trick.

I'm not sure how a tenant could get away with that trick for longer than a month though, unless I'm missing something.

What are the top 3 tricks that brokers/owners use to trick unsophisticated buyers into paying too much for a multifamily property?  

Now if the wholesaler is maliciously trying to trick people into nonsense ARV's then shame on them but ARV's, especially in DC, can be somewhat subjective depending on your exit strategy and level of finish. 

With that you'd also want someone with good local knowledge, since you may have very little.The trick will be to find an agent experienced and knowledgeable enough, who is also willing to spend time with an out-of-towner.

They only have so many tricks up their sleeve, but what happens when their tricks no longer work?  

If you're working with a direct lender instead of a broker they probably won't admit that they are slow and difficult to work with (since they are one trick pony), but just FYI so you know what to expect.Offer #1 looks like it's from the "omfg must close this purchase in 21 days" batch of lenders, we see a lot of that here in the Bay Area, and indeed we send them a lot of business.

Thanks in advance for any tips and trick you can contribute!

As an investor I have won numerous purchases using the old double ending trick.

Please let this sink in as this is not opinion, this is undisputable fact...Wholesaling, buy & hold, Flipping what ever you are into all you need is motivated seller leads.There is no "specific to wholesaling" trick to use for getting wholesaling leads, and a different method for flipping.