Lease option advice from experienced investors

Hows It Going BP, 

So i have been reading and studying creative real estate for a year now and finally started talking to sellers with the wholesaling approach. My Goal is to really get into the lease option field because i feel theres less competition and more opportunities for a deal. My concern is the risk involved in getting into contract ex. the tenant buyer not being approved for a loan and asking for their option money back even though its non refundable. I've read putting the deal into a land trust is better but i have only recently read this. So what is your experience with lease options? How successful have you been? and what types of problems have you run into?