Consequently many inexperienced investors make investment decisions based on where they can afford to buy, not necessarily where a good investment thesis may exist. 

You do that with skill, time, and reputation.

I went to someone who was considered a reputable broker and he said he had a great new program.

Quote from @Michael Simmonds: Hello BP Family,I am in need of a reputable builder/GC in Cape Coral who is willing to take on a partially finished new construction home. 

A 1031 Exchange is a real estate transaction that takes advantage of a Federal tax law, so the state you do it in is of no consequence.

Enough” - “Your success as an investor will be determined by how you respond to punctuated moments of terror, not the years spend on cruise control”The Noticer: - “One way to define wisdom, is the ability to see into the future the consequences of your choices in the present.

Our agent seems incredibly stressed by it all, she's spent decades building her reputation which is now being dragged down by this guy but I don't know what she can do.  

They can change terms basically at anytime before closing for non-owner occupied - is it good for the reputation - absolutely not - but it does occur.

Note investors who think learning from people who scam others out of millions is a good idea and a way to have a good reputation in the space. 

The website 51west.properties also scores low on scam advisor ("owner is using a service to hide their identity, high number of suspicious websites on the server, registrar has a high % of spammers and fraud sites, website is (very) young, website appears to be hosted by a company with a bad reputation", all according to https://www.scamadviser.com/check-website/51west.properties...)Trust your instincts.