Am I wrong? Am I expecting too much from my real estate agent?

[Jeff Terry]

My wife and I are planning on relocating to East Tennessee to live and invest. We don't know much about the region other than what our research churns up (numbers, market forecasts, Google Earth views) and we really need a trusted partner to fill in those blind spots. 

Recently we've engaged with a realtor in Knoxville who has been willing to show us properties and fill in some details that aren't on the MLS listing. But when we ask "Is this a good neighborhood for rentals?" or "In your opinion, how many thousands will a rehab cost?" we get nothing. To the first question it's usually, "I have no idea," and to the second question, our agent won't even offer an estimate, a ballpark. We know that estimating a firm number on a rehab is somewhat foolish (things often go way over budget) but we are looking for a starting point and find a dead end.

My question to you fine folks: Am I expecting too much? I don't want to have someone do all our work and maybe I'm being a little selfish here. But this could be a beneficial relationship for us both as we plan on buying a 4 bedroom house to live in as well as several properties to rent for cash flow. 

I really don't know. 

[Russell Brazil]

If they comment on the quality of the neighborhood, and there is a Fair Housing tester making that call, they may end up with a $16,000 fine for illegal steering.