Hello all,Let's make this brief Recently pre-approved for 300, teamed up with my realtor and went on the hunt for my ideal starter home, white picket fence all that good stuff.

The pickets and guardrails are an interior composite MDF instead of outdoor treated wood (previous owner installed them).

I am trying to help my elderly Father-in-law with a project on one of his homes in West Sacramento area.He is wanting to replace an old picket fence with wrought iron.   

Based in South florida and it seems everything is so highly priced and getting bought by cash investors.I have no idea on what to do - most agents I have spoken to have zero idea on flips or investor properties, no idea on how to get properties off market or what a wholesaler is and get annoyed when I ask questions because im not a cash buyer looking for a 3/2 for their kids with the white picket fence.If you were in my situation what would you suggest I do.Thanks in advance

Many years before I became a realtor I was a USAF veteran working an IT job and was bedazzled by the market at the time and a "perfect" house and bought at the tippy top ceiling of my affordable price range (chasing that white picket fence dream, etc.), using my VA benefit. 

Those big blue city refugees bid war fighting each other for houses are going for that perfect picket fence suburban lifestyle, flush with the cash they got selling their big blue city townhome or condo. 

The bottom of the price range will typically have the best opportunity for rehab and rent, and as a bonus the level of distress at the bottom of the asking price range will typically turn off those happy couples looking for their turn-key white picket fence dream home, so competition for bids in that range isn't so crazy.

When an individual property is distressed and hits the market, it's not going to have those instant 12 offers and bid wars flaring up over them that you will see with those purdy perfect white picket fence Hollywood dream homes in areas with optimal school districts for their kids, etc. 

Locals were actually holding signs and picketing outside the Board of Commissioners office, lobbying that they "do something" about our "housing crisis."

This way you can learn the ins and outs of the business while putting some $$ in your picket that you can reinvest in your biz.