Once you pass the calendar year of the withdrawal - the train is gone.

They have great training.

Well, this house has appreciated as well and we're now sitting like all others in SoCal in a 1974 Build 1,250sqft house on a 4,000sqft lot between a train track and river trail in an amazing zip code/school district that's valued at $700,000 of which about $360K is equity.

You should look for a steal in the surrounding area (you can draw a map as you search on Zillow) or try the area in the Valley Arts section of orange, its near the campus, the price of the properties are relatively low and theres a midtown direct train there (the highland park station)

Tower mansions tend to go up or retain its value, depending on proximity to the train station and other factors. 

It's more of an issue for disclosure items like talking about the seller's situation to the buyer or talking about the buyer's situation to the listing agent or the seller.Having the agreement also allows the agent to negotiate on the behalf of the buyer.Also, it protects the agent in situations where a seller or an unethical listing agent tries to cut your agent out of the picture with the promise of a better deal.There are several hours of training on laws of agency.

Just starting to train myself to look at either flipping or buy and hold in Northwest Indiana. 

In the past I've spent thousands of dollars on training programs but not really personal mentorship.Here is my advice I would start where you are - Bigger Pockets - not just to learn the business but also the culture of the business.

You will have to train them and probably burn and churn several before you find the right one.  

These are professionals with additional training and a stricter code of ethics.