Really enjoying everyone's response...some of my favorite real estate related books are: Best Real Estate Investing Advice Ever by Joe FairlessThe Real Estate Rehab Investing Bible: A Proven-Profit System for Finding, Funding, Fixing, and Flipping Houses...Without Lifting a Paintbrush by Paul EsajianThe Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down by Brandon TurnerFLIP: How to Find, Fix and Sell Houses for Profit by Rick Villani and Clay DavisThe Book on Flipping Houses: How to Buy, Rehab, and Resell Residential Properties by J Scott and Josh Dorkin

Either buy the cheapest house you can be happy in and invest the rest -or- buy, repair, resell every 5 years.  

I would buy broken units ( Top load whirlpool models) on Craigslist, fix them, then resell for a profit.

If you are not able to finish this task how can you convince someone (especially yourself) you will finish a flip, be there through the fall RE selling months or be around if the market turns?

You can also flip houses or do short-term holds where you resell for a profit to help with #1.But  I agree real estate isn't as simple as say - investing in an index fund.

This fed on itself and accelerated a downturn into a crash.I listened to an interview with the CEO of a company that just rides real estate cycles buying large parcels of land during busts and reselling them during the next boom.

Right after when the next 'correction' hits will be the BEST time to BUY and HOLD the NOTES on single family residences, reselling them as LPs and LOs, or you could also keep them as long term rentals. 

You should be focused on buying a house a month, not reselling appliances on craigslist. 

Would you be able to re-sell it?

I see the lone wolf wholesaler being more like a used car salesmen buying cars at auction then reselling them.. and that can be a great business..