Now, I don't want you to hold on to a bunch of stuff that isn't working but try to find the best PM you can in both markets and see what they can do. 

I'm really interested in learning as much as I can in order to complete my first deal.

I learned a lot on how to get everything in writing with contractors using the fat pay method.

The downsides, though, is that the agent may not be able to submit the offer as quickly as you can in these informal cases, and the agent's commission might/will cut into the potential profit of the wholesaler, so that's a factor.Either way can work, and the better your personal relationship with the wholesaler the more strait-forward the process with be without the agent. 

So I will have to say with a heavy heart that I did not fully continue and complete a lot of the podcast that I was listening to and I got up to 30 and they were talking about how uncool it is to speak of a deal from the start and that a deal is on the table and I'm looking for a partner and so on......so yeah I feel now  slightly dumb and know better than to ask something like that and of course I welcome anyone and everyone to talk to me and get to know me some more such as asking about my past for being in the military or my kids or my very fat and Annoying Cat.

It sucks but I’ve cut even mor fat out of our household and personal budgets since my decision

@Nicholas Munford we are buying as much as we can in parts of EC. 

Networking as much as I can in my market to put myself in a good position4.

Rather than try to fight the way things work (everything has downsides and you can't protect people from every possible harm that may come there way), use "the system" to make a profit for yourself, and give back where you feel it will do the most good (and there is never enough, there never will be).For instance, in this case it might mean making as much as you possibly can (in an ethical manner) and steering a percentage of those profits into something that helps what you feel about.Now you might say that's sideways logic, but really, you can't stop the way things work (they work that way for a reason that generally involves the greater good in some way, such as preventing slums) and those who would benefit from the percentage donation (even if it's not tax deductible, such as a homeless shelter) would never get that money if you had not made a profit.

We get a pretty fat book with all of the research and projected financials for the first 5 years.