I’ve seen margins get hurt the most when rehab timelines and days on market are underestimated.

Lighter value-add and cosmetic rehabs tend to be easier to underwrite and move in this environment, while heavier projects need more margin and tighter assumptions to make sense.

I’m an active investor, but lately finding the right projects has been tougher, mostly due to inflated pricing on existing inventory, unrealistic seller expectations, and an oversaturation of flippers.

I’ve had sol...

That said, it feels like most decent deals are getting squeezed to death before there’s any real margin left. 

I’ve successfully built a stack that automates the intake and skip-tracing process for approximately $0.15–$0.30 per lead (API costs only).The Strategic Flow:Data Integrity: Using Google Address Autocomplete to ensure zero-error data entry from the start.Instant Valuation: Pulling real-time market data to provide the seller with a custom offer range immediately.Automated Skip Tracing: The system automatically pulls legal owner names, mobile numbers, and emails the second the form is submitted.Remote Management: I manage the entire logic (margins, repair costs, SMS triggers) through a Slack/Telegram integration so I don't need a heavy CRM.I’m currently running this through a Google Sheets backend to keep the tech stack lightweight.I’m curious to hear from the veterans here—at what volume does it make sense to move away from 'all-in-one' platforms and into custom API-driven automation?

More suburban areas like South Fulton or certain Clayton County zips, buyers want closer to 65-68% because the resale market is slower and margins tighten quickly.Zips to be cautious about really depend on your buyers.

I am wondering what your thoughts are on bigger multi unit apartment buildings and are they better to buy than houses if the profit margin is about the same before maintenance costs?

The regional bank that quoted that deal currently has a 1.87% cost of funds.   5.6% is still well above the historical 3% net interest margin target for lenders. 

The two business models I generally hate ae remote investing are low margin flips and lower cost rentals.

Tighter lending, higher insurance, and thinner margins are making patience a strategy.A lot of investors are realizing that immediately repeating the cycle — without reassessing numbers — can compound mistakes fast.