I have some great referrals for you for agents in Seattle to help you get your home there sold also.

if this is your criteria it can be done, but the low hanging fruit has the least juice. 

What do they look for in agents and is there any set criteria for agents to meet when joining the firm (or even better, a strong team in the firm)?

A bit pricey in most cases but there are deals that make sense.In short, if you can find a competitively priced deal and you're investing with a long-term time horizon than I think it will be a fruitful investment.

(An alternative for aging trailers, will continue on such city lots, indefinitely, is to build roofs over them, & then enclose them in conventional frame walls, so that they are turned into facsimiles of frame-built houses.

I started out with some lower offers on properties I considered to be low hanging fruit with no luck and then I moved up to full asking price offers, even over asking on some that I know should have brought it home with the same result.

You should send that crazy lady a fruit basket for helping you break free of a life you didnt enjoy...

Cold calling/prospecting, contact EVERYONE in your personal circle/sphere of influence, volunteer to host open houses for agents in your company/office.2.

Ditto with the Farm Service Agency, even though I have explored ways to farm the property with a summer business like growing lavender or large-scale vegetable and fruit farming. 

We've made so many great connections in the BiggerPockets community over the years and I hope its as fruitful for you as it has been for us.