I hate to give a broad answer but it's difficult to answer this without additional information and directly in the forum.

I work in Real estate and have broad experience helping expats and investors to find the best properties that suit their needs. 10 years ago, anything you could buy was a great investment, in terms of return, valuation, and resale opportunity. 

Essentially (broad brush strokes from a layman's understanding) what many people don't realize (and I didn't before 3ish years ago) is insurance companies have insurance against their own substantial losses; 'reinsurance'.

PM me pls Its hard to say - a broad range of things but essentially not disclosure issues and wanting things fixed that they didnt ask for after their first inspection.

I've always found the worst people always end up inhabiting the ends of the spectrum.

And of course, these are two extremes along a spectrum. 

Realtors have access to a broad network and can help you get the best price in a shorter time frame, which is important in a market that can shift quickly.In the end, using a realtor can often pay off by helping you sell faster and at a higher price.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the overly short questions of "is this a good deal?

It's a very broad question which is probably more prone to shades of grey than most.

The next $40,000 you can buy broad market index funds.