You have a lot of issues going on here; I suggest hiring a lawyer in your state that ONLY represents your interests, and does not jointly represent you and your "partners" so you can get unbiased legal advice.

@Nalo Coban I tried reaching out to LOEBSACK & BROWNLEE PLLC unfortunately they do not represent mom and pop landlords."

The listing agent isnt sabotaging it, it just seems like you are not familiar with the REO market.First...the listing agent for an REO typically can not represent both sides of a deal, or collect the buy side of the commission as per their contract with the bank.

One big pissing contest...Bottom line is that nobody wants to see their portfolio down 40 or 50 percent, even if they represent only paper losses.

Find an agent local to you that has experience representing buyers of REOs. 

But you can never say never...especially with these polls which are not exactly representative of the voting public (Early polls also indicated a much different result with our presidential elections!).

I'm wondering now if I do get licensed would I be able to just represent myself in my deals and not be a full time agent for other people, or would I still have to partner with a broker or become a broker myself?

Have you been able to be represented by someone other than a lawyer?

It's best for you to find someone that you can work with that is not the realtor representing the property you want to buy - while legal in many states - you want to ensure you are represented well, and it's your interests only that are being held. 

Bankruptcy questions should be asked to the attorney who is representing the seller.