The thing that helps you less competition is having more rehabs/repairs.  

I purchase Airdna data on occasion - seems to be a good tool but heavy lifting to sort through it all. houghts?

The only problem wholesaling in southern Cal is the competition.

Showing the property before it is available can get good results.How long it takes varies both with the current rental market and how your property is priced relative to the competition.

And I imagine, with those numbers, it is lumping houses in with apartments.I am in a bit smaller community, but I have an amenity heavy, high rise and also luxury apartments that can skew the numbers quite a bit.

I live in Los Angeles,  which is obviously a super competitive market with high barriers to entry.  

I have came across a house which have been damaged during heavy rainfall.

Lots of competition!

I would like to have a solid mortgage broker in order to get potential buyers pre-approved at a competitive rate.

The MLS and auction properties have too much competition and amateur investors are willing to pay too much for them.