These are all great initial questions to answer as they'll better steer you towards a certain product and financing terms.  

In most of our rehabs, we opt for a light-colored countertop that steers away from brown colors that were so popular just a few years ago.

I'm hoping this conversation might help to steer me in the right direction on my research. 

@Brian D Gleason As asked earlier, your goals should steer you in the right direction.

I am not afraid of the hard conversations during a job or telling a contractor that I went with another company and why, but I don’t want my concern for my daughter’s social life to steer me to make a decision that is not in the best interest of my business.

Reasons... 1) real-estate documents are not the same in each province 2) Realtors generally only have access to listings in their own jurisdiction 3) a local agent can connect you to other local resources (insurance, inspections, etc.) 4) a local agent will likely know the history of the property and steer you clear of a dud

However, he steered me toward doing my first deal with owner-financing (40% ltv, 5%) instead of getting a loan because there might not be an option that makes sense financially.

Reason why is a great asset with someone inexperienced during times of turmoil can go sideways pretty quick and having someone who can steer the ship in a storm is very important.

@Wonderful Togbey your logic is steering you the right direction here.

Another thing, unless you have considerable experience buying properties I would steer clear of FSBO.