Any insights, advice, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

In place of a flat fee I can see the transition being something based on referral (did my buyer agent get me a trades person, lender, home inspector, etc.

Hi James,I personally don't have enough experience to answer your question, but there is some helpful stuff in a similar discussion here: http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/52/topics/1779...You will find related discussions to any forum discussion you are reading at the bottom of each forum discussion page, and they can often help you find posts that answer your question.  

Quote from @Elizabeth King: I have a property in my personal name that I plan to rent annually. 

Explore my personal favorites, Set For Life by Scott Trench or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, for invaluable financial insights.3.

Being a curious person, I gained an interest in real estate investing due to other classmates being interested in real estate.

Quote from @Michael Challenger: I have no qualms with hard money lending, but I need to learn more about the process and structure to these for typical deals so that I am more comfortable and in a position to reduce my personal risk and risk to investors as much as possible.

It's important to understand that a person can sue another person, but that doesn't constitute a judgment.

Does anyone know stats on this or have personal experience in this region?

I know my personal tax accountant isn't knowledgeable enough for property investment write-offs.