Then 2008 happened and as a realtor in his early 20s with no established business, I found employment elsewhere.

Also ask about employment in that specific area.

What I bring to the table:- Stable income/employment history- Handy and technically minded- Great with excel and programming, should translate well to custom analysis tools and automation- Commitment and discipline to spend the next decade grinding and doing whatever (legally and ethically) it takes to be successful.Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you to everyone involved with bigger pockets for facilitating this community.  

We are self employed and do not have enough history to get a mortgage.

Since turn key companies consistently use the same crews and usually keep them fully employed, the can control their labor costs more and control the quality of work; Contractors can be hard to manage when you're local.

For those who are self-employed with no full time employees, the Solo 401(k) format provides similar checkbook control over funds in a slightly different configuration - but with a more robust retirement plan.Several providers of both services are active here on BP. 

What’s the best health insurance for self employment?

I am supposed to (you can tell by the wording that I am not the best at following all rules) refer all such inquiries to HR which will simply confirm the employment. 

The prices are much more affordable and I could scale a rental portfolio much quicker than in the city/suburbs, just wondering if they are too risky with the lack of employment opportunities in the immediate area.

One week before the final signing the buyer loses their job after which the loan processor calls the employer to verify employment so the deal can not close.