I'd told my agent this a few weeks ago, and my agent told me technically he is owed a 3% commission but he won't hold that against me since it's a family member and I'm starting out.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Plus, you want to make sure you’re comfortable with the commute and potential tenant demand.Oh, and curious, have you started making connections in that market - lenders, contractors, agents, or perhaps other investors too?

I believe that perhaps action could be taken against the agents who sold these "investments."

If you don’t like to read, listen or educate yourself than unfortunately you will likely not find much success (although I am sure there are those out there that have succeeded without).Rich Dad Poor Dad, Millionaire Real Estate Investor, Multi- Family Millions (Dave Lindahl), ABC’s of Real Estate Investing, The Book on Rental Property Investing, Hold, The Advanced Guide to Real Estate Investing, The Due Diligence Handbook for Commercial Real Estate, Millionaire Real Estate Agent, The Book on Managing Rental Properties (Brandon Turner), The Emyth RevistitedCrushing It in Apartments and Commercial Real Estate, Emerging Real Estate Markets ,The ABC’s of Property Management, Wheelbarrow Profits, The One Thing, Outliers, Start with Why, David and Goliath, Chasing Excellence, Extreme Ownership, The Compound Effect, The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster, Be Obsessed or Be Average, The 10x Rule, The Obstacle is the Way, Ego is the Enemy, Am I Being Too Subtle, 48 Laws of Power, Atlas Shrugged, Man’s Search For Meaning, Sapiens, Tools of Titans, Four Hour Work Week.Step 2 (financing): To get a better idea of what I was capable of purchasing, I met with four different lenders and began a relationship to acquire funding.

You should hire a seasoned real estate agent that understands the market.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

.* Our agents met and we learned that the lowest they'd go was $510 because of a HELOC* We offered $520K with $10K seller credit to be used for closing costs.

I have taken my real estate agent course work and plan to take the exam and sign on with a low cost broker to handle my own transactions.

I spoke with the listing agent and we went back and forth with the owners who inherited the property.