This could be a very dumb question with a very simple answer, but if someone could clarify for me.I've been going through numerous Notices of Tax Deed Applications to reach out to former owners of those properties.On some of the notices, next to a name it will say "EST" followed by "%" and another name.ex)Legal Title Holders:Michael Jordan EST% Dwayne WadeMy question is, what does the "EST" represent, and who is the legal former title holder?

There were real estate agents involved during the first attempts at acquiring, then all communications shifted to a law firm representing the bank that owned the property.

If you had an attorney representing you, he or she should be able to answer your first question....

Question is, what if i want to purchase a property for my own portfolio while acting as an agent (i.e. i would be principal AND agent representing myself).  

If they only brought me their listings, they would be representing me as a dual agent?  

As an attorney, I represented developers, REITs, multi-national corporations, and local governments in all aspects of real estate including asset acquisition, development, leasing, and disposition.

All that to say, I think that this deal could potentially represent a pretty interesting investment for us but given the high price of homes currently, I'm still somewhat torn.

Speak to your banking representative and they can give you some additional options.

Every single LO I've seen across my desk when I represent the tenant/purchasers have violated the law so I get to tell my client that this is a virtually risk-free transaction for them. 

If your broker only represents one carrier (captive agent) or only has a couple of markets you should also consider getting quotes from other Independent agents who represent different markets.The following is part of a post I made to a new owner in the past.