I’m glad you were able to move on without signing, shows the agent understands/is a good guy/gal, or knows other firms wouldn’t require such a signature. 

We have a team of experienced agents ready to find you your next great property!

As a newbie, I’d love to connect with local investors and agents to learn more about the area and refine my plan.

Having a solid team around you like agent, lender, contractors etc.

The time has come for me to start investing in real estate and before doing so i'm looking to build a strong and dedicated team of partners: agents, lenders, contractors and property managers mainly in the Cleveland area (but also open to markets within a 2-3 hr drive away) that already possess an excellent track record in their line of work and that value long term collaboration.

I'm an investor and an agent in this area and if you ever want to chat about the market or investing, I'm happy to do so.

A smart seller/listing agent will likely require a large EMD to tie you to performing on your offer, so be prepared for that. 

Huge counterparty risk, I am just working through a scenario where a correspondent HML in the midwest got defrauded from bad diligence and their funding partner is having to clean things up.

As far as ARV I would find an agent who works with investors to work with you.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?