Can you imagine me showing up on the unlicensed broker forum as a top poster?

Things ARE different for Realtors® who Invest than the unlicensed!  

I do not know if an unlicensed (person not identified by NC Bar) individual can access the system or not, but I do know you will need to be bonded and pay for access (~$495) plus per-query fees.

The lack of doing so within the contract deadline would be enough for the Seller to keep your earnest money if you are not able to perform to the contract.Additionally, in many markets (PHX is one of them), the Department of Real Estate is going fast and furious after unlicensed wholesalers who are conducting real estate activities without a license. 

If an unlicensed party to the transaction thinks you did something wrong, they could sue you for damages.  

I can't legally compensate someone that is unlicensed.

In CA, it is considered an unlicensed activity and illegal if you hire a PM and hire subs yourself, with a few exceptions of owner builder (owner must occupy within 1 year, and/or property is not subject for resale).In short, you get PM when you can't oversee the project, but they usually only do a monitoring activity and not contracting activity.

As to the agent question, you wouldn't really need to have a license unless you're going to wholesale, because you can get into trouble with the state marketing properties to other people when you're unlicensed (search wholesaling here on BP and you'll find zillions of articles on this).

Then insisted that I used unlicensed workers even though I source from Angieslist and have furnished them with company names and certification.

In CA, performing work unlicensed or while your license in suspended is a CRIME.