Both are very well versed with investment properties and can shop multiple carriers for you. 

Should I keep shopping around?

@Alex Hujdus I've started the conversation with an agent and we plan to shop around for a lender.

I'm back in the market shopping around Sacramento.

Or is it okay to work for a private one/two man shop- where Im friends with the principal and who has all the knowledge and experience from working for the big firms...

You can then start shopping for another, and rinse/repeat.  

Two comments, One is that nothing just shows up with a large body of law behind it.

The 80,750-SF grocery-anchored neighborhood center, which traded at a 6.5% cap rate and was 92% occupied, has had The Fresh Market as its anchor tenant for the past 12 years.Higher up the pricing spectrum, unanchored and open-air shopping centers may see cap rates above 7% and occasionally push into the 8% to 9% range as specific market and quality factors influence each transaction.In the open-air shopping center segment, Nuveen sold the 1 MSF Fayette Pavilion to 5Rivers CRE, a private buyer from Houston, for $134 million, or $128/SF.

I don't know why it is that way but you look a little harder when you put that kind of cash in vs. getting that preapproval and going shopping, at least that's the way it was for us.

i'm a long distance investor as well happy to talk shop if you're needing help with anything. :)