You may need to resubmit things several times, have a hard time getting ahold of them, and there is a very high chance they blow your deal up last minute, but at least you have the opportunity to get the best rate! 

I deal with wholesalers every week on my fundings  or should I say I see their fee's on the HUDS every week.. if I see one come in that is just way to high  like a 50k purchase and 50k assingment fee I wont fund it..

I was relieved to hear you speak highly of his program after reading the posts before yours.

Also, which choice is better for you highly depends on what your real estate goals are and the experience level & skillset of the specific agent.Traditional agent and Redfin Agent could essentially be the same thing in many cases.

A few of them also mentioned that they don't really expect this to affect the housing affordability in the county, but do believe that STRs can affect the quality and integrity of the neighborhoods in the county which they want to preserve.  

high prices have made properties expensive and high rates have made money expensive. 

I'd highly recommend house hacking in your local market since you're in one of the highest cost of living areas in the US, especially if you're renting currently and planning on staying in the area for 5-10 years.It sounds sexy to go out and invest out of state for your first property.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

Focusing solely on numbers often leads to the purchase of low-quality properties.

Also North Providence is a great area, so you should have no problem finding quality tenants.