It does serve a purpose if you are not picky and just looking to have a few lenders try and beat each others fee's/APR.Again to those working at that company I am not trying to take away what you offer but it is limited which must be explained.

Since you're already in Tampa, staying local for your first few deals can help you stay hands-on and learn faster.

Staging your house well can help you attract more attention from buyers, which ultimately helps it sell faster and maybe for a higher price than an unstaged home (see visual):What Are My Staging Options?

The banks thought I was a dead beat because of my debt to income ratio.  

You're going to have to go learn about that yourself.The faster you get rid of this bozo the better off the whole system will be.

Hopefully that will be at the end of Q1. 

Time in the market beats timing the market!

I would think most cities have such a facility, there may be a small charge for clean up but it doesn't have to be at some hotel convention center at $500 or $1,000 a pop!

It's easier and faster to wholesale then go through the process of getting your license.

Later payments if after the one year anniversary would be at CapitalGain rates.