They make their living by annoying people who don't want to sell to find a few that are desperate or uninformed enough to tie up their property in a contract that the wholesaler has no ability to actually execute and giving up equity they could have retained to a person that adds no real value to the transaction.

I gave the sales rep the benefit of the doubt and asked him, "Of the people that join your program what percentage do you retain?

I retain 15% equity in the property and cash flow about $1,000/month

These are just a few examples I've observed.  

From my observations most of these “Gurus” only have portfolios of C/D located single family homes to show for their years of work and for the life of me I don’t understand why they capture an audience.  

Something to consider in your cost analysis.My end goal is to build and retain apartment complexes, I'm not there yet.

But, if on record it is a 1 bed/2 bath, but I observe a 3/4 bedroom house, I am going to ask why the difference.

Deborah Burian -- do the professionals ever have a good idea of what is wrong without observing the foundation movement over a period of time?

There are financial advisors who charge fees hourly or by a monthly/annual retainer (see xypn and Garrett Planning Network). 

Marketing and Customer Retention: What targeted marketing strategies have you used to attract and retain customers, and how do you measure their success?