what I have found is most investors in my area buy sub to and flip the property retail right away.

You have a property that is deemed "a good value" by cash investors, financed investors, retail buyers, and wholesalers (in order of people you would prefer to work with).

I would move in fix it up at my own pace... put it on the market and hope for a bite.

With the current spending pace AND the continuing drop in taxpayers, we WILL eventually run out of taxpayers.So, if it is a problem, what changes should we as investors hope for to help save the system?

Here in Toledo my flip margins are getting paper thin because retail prices keep coming down and REO prices have not come down accordingly.

Properties which are immediately livable will likely not work because a retail buyer is the target market.

I consider my pace of building my rental business fairly aggressive, yet the most I've bought in a year was 22.

I think that marketing your home prior to being finished is ok as long as you don't show them the unfinished product.You never want to show your retail buyer the unfinished product.

But my point is that gurus are saying that they immediately sell properties--wholesale [property still needs work] or retail--when, in fact, seasoning is a huge issue.

I am selling 1 of them retail, the other 4 will be rented Section 8.I would NOT recommend Section 8 in your situation.