When I represent a buyer on the retail side, the main factors are budget ($250K means Brockton, not Wellesley), commuting options (highways, commuter rail, commuter boat), Schools (refer to www.GreatSchools.org) and crime (I use Trulia's crime heat maps).For investors, it's a lot more about where the investor wants to be. 

That is MY JOB as a purchaser, at settlement, and I would make certain someone would represent me in person, in my absence, at closing, to get the keys. 

If not, paying commissions is not a problem, provided you do not perform brokerage activities (representing buyers or sellers in an Agency relationship of properties you do not own).

I never list my own home and have someone representing myself as agent to take care of avoiding exposures like you described.

I put the few questions in parentheses.Thank you,TonyPlan:possibly start out with small, unimproved/vanant land1)Find buyers and make a buyers list--Market your wholesaling business---Using bandit signs "I sell houses dirt cheap"---Business cards---Internet---Real estate meet-ups2)Find a lawyer that can help make a contract--due diligence clause--option agreement--allow both parties to know who you are representing to avoid legal disputes (buyer & seller)3)Find my target area where I will do my house searching--Using the County Appraisal District4)Find distressed properties--Tall grass--Piled up mail--Boarded up windows--Take a pen & paper, take notes and pictures of the property5)Create an excel spreadsheet of the property--Owner-occupied?

My advice- open a PM LLC for yourself and represent yourself to your tenants as the on-site rep for that PM company.

I did pay them all to represent my best interest in the transaction and in retrospect I was thinking that water and sewer are common charges that are billed to the property as opposed to a person so did someone drop the ball?  

I mean they are paying for the advertising they are doing and they never got a contract with you or an exclusive right to represent.

Tons of turnkey providers from various markets represented here on Bigger Pockets.

I would start with a Independent agent with multiple markets (companies they represent) and have them shop it for you.