An agent can not pay a commission to an unlicensed person.To put some of this in perspective, if an agent doesn't renew his license before it expires, he can not collect any commission for any sale which closes escrow while his license is expired even if all of the work was done while licensed.The real estate laws don't distinguish between retail and wholesale.

I would like for someone to be able to explain the cost to a new investor distinguishing needs vs preferences

That being said, we need to distinguish if we're speaking about SFR or commercial multifamily.

Nobody realistically considers these separate entities, so if you run your analysis using population data that distinguishes all of these as separate entities then it is not going to be realistic. 

Namely, because HUD guidelines (not to mention Department of Justice guidelines) specifically state that breed restrictions are on service dogs are illegal.And while emotional support animals aren't service dogs, the Fair Housing Act doesn't distinguish between the two.

I agree, the crime map can be a little misleading with North Park "red" and most of National City "green", but it does help distinguish areas with high violent crime that really shouldn't have it (war zones) where there is no nightlife or reasonable explanation.

So far I have:Built a standard parts list and supplier list: windows, paints, flooring, cabinets, sinks.Established a good primary realtor.Made a standard of what I will do to distinguish my apartment units in the market.Hired a property management to deal with the increased number of lease up's and tenant shake out (note- I have only had 1 tenant move).Started using a documentation system for projects (Trello) and files (Google Drive).Built a solid relationship with a commercial lending arm of a regional bank.Areas to improve: Marketing- I have been MLS primary for my deals focusing on heavy rehab needed C class buildingsWebsite- slacked on totallyAttending network events-  in the 2 years only made it to 4 I think.

You need to distinguish between those that are full-time investors and those that look for passive income.  

It is important to distinguish between a sketchy seller (for example, someone who uses jumper cables to steal electricity) and a sketchy house.

And you have distinguished yourself going Pro....