They will know the local code, the political players and hot buttons, and what you should push hard for vs. lay off of in negotiations.

A broker who does as you described would get a pretty bad rep pretty quickly.If Cam's statement is true she did not make an offer in writing then she can just get her own broker who will right the deal the seller pays the commissions normally. although in ultra hot markets that may not be the case but I suspect things are not that hot in AL  I do a lot of business in AL  and yes there is competition from hedge funds for cash flow homes in some markets but anyone can buy a home especially if its MLS listed its not like this is San Francisco were you get 20 offers on a listing and its an all out bidding war.

The houston market right now is really hot and the average DOM for that area is about five weeks.  

And be incredibly kind to the guy....having a police officer friend is the best gift in the world for a landlord....and guess whose house is never getting robbed???

@Douglas Dowell 3D Printing is incredible for sure, and it will have uses beyond what we can imagine.

- Western burbs are hot and expected high growth in population and jobs.  

I'd like to get an idea where the hot rental areas are for example.  

Our market isn't so hot that I have to keep shooting offers out.  

@Starr Ango don't forget when you buy and hold you need a capital reserve to repair the roof, replace the hot water heater etc as things come up.  

At this point I have spent about twice as much as originally intended (spent approx 9k), which is worse if I consider that the mobile home will be of no value to any buyer.The rental market in my area is very, very hot and there is absolutely no problem to rent the place as is.