Ask the agent if he did a CMA  and tell him you know most sellers want to list at a wish price, but tell the agent you were planning to start investing in the area if you can find the right deals but first you want to learn the territory and what things are actually selling for and how strong the market is at the present time.. 

Real estate seems to be my nice step and my next challenge that I’m ready to tackle and it’s untreaded territory for me.

The fact that it is very close to record setting means... we're in totally uncharted territory and some people may say "overdue" for a correction.

Took out a HELOC on my primary which has no mortgage and plan on using the equity for DP & CC on the rentals.Pretty sure I'll be buying in the upstate SC area which is part of my sales territory so I'm fairly familiar with the area.  

It is its own territory that is not tied with the city of Cleveland.

They're open to some sort of seller financing lease options with an option to buy at a later date, I'm just unfamiliar with that territory and need to learn more about those options.

This is new territory for me.

Initially, we will use little, if any leverage, since we both feel that will eliminate a lot of the stress and unknowns of "new territory."

Establish personal relationships with them before you approach the topic of self-direction.That's about as far as I can go without stepping into territory which requires a professional designation (financial professional).

Professionally, I have spent the past 10 years in Sales developing territories for a manufacturing company for the Eastern US and am now ready to build real wealth and achieve financial freedom.