As much as I tried to keep on the realtors, they reassured me the deal was going to close...So I missed the peak season, finally I did a couple open house myself in Oct with great success, and accepted offer from buyers agent.

Right then I could see the light go off that peaked her interest.

I'd also like to thank Anchor Title and Associates for their speed in the whole closing process.

I'm new so maybe I'm not looking at this correctly, but isn't it odd to think the market is 50% higher today than a year before the peak of the bubble?

After getting to know the neighborhood on such biking/ walking excursions I would then send letters or call homeowners to express interest in purchasing their homes.If the neighborhood really peaks your interest after performing the aforementioned, you could then start marketing on a larger scale via methods such as letter campaigns.

However to be on the conservative side, allow for 8-10 weeks if leasing during the off peak seasons.And regarding zip codes, yes, they do vary in rentability and utility for sewer.

Question is, how to speed up/accelerate the strategy with this hindering the process?  

Yeah, that's the thing, I do think the market is peaking.

I would let all of them know that I have a large pool of potential renters and my preferences: exactmove in date, qualifications, my rules and policies, speed of their application including payment of deposit, etc...

However, with the values today (many areas way over 2007 peaks) I don't even find SD to be a safe bet for appreciation -- unless you're looking out 10+ years.