Getting an electrician to show up was like pulling teeth on our current job. 

@Victoria CrumpI would cut my teeth in the Detroit Suburbs, get a feel for the area. 

Listings are always nice, but to hold out for just listings when getting started is hard to do since you are not cutting your teeth (getting experience) as mush as you would by representing buyers.

However, getting all that information was like pulling teeth.

All cash purchases are better for time-sensitive transactions but in most cases you're not going to get some steep discount just because you buy in cash.

Most forums can use simpler software because they are only participatory in nature and don't contain sensitive information like credit card numbers and identification info. 

This is a time sensitive matter.

Ready to sink my teeth into real estate markets and looking to expand my network in the Washington, D.C. area !

Today I asked an agent (for an apartment complex) and he did not know and said he would not ask for fear of putting the seller off.This raises alarms for me- am I being too sensitive?

They require an on-site inspection of your home or office and charge a lot for their services, but this barrier keeps anyone with a computer from accessing extremely sensitive data.To verify death, I suggest you get access to the Social Security Death Master File.