Some people in this business actually DO operate with integrity, minimize risk and help people out. 

Hi Jamie, It sounds like you have done a good job building yourself a nice foundation for taking the next step.My firm, Brookwood Group (Brookwoodgroup.com) helps RE investors and owners to assess opportunities, mitigate risk, and develop an overall strategy by applying our integrated real estate consulting approach. 

When you deal with Unlicensed Brokers expect to get the value that might be reflected by their education and integrity

It comes down in my opinion  to work ethic, honesty and integrity.

I know my realtor from years ago and know he's a man of ethics and integrity so working with him now will hopefully yield better results than what I first experienced on my own a few weeks ago.

I suppose it really does not have a limitation in regards to current condition and structural integrity.

Integrity is so important for future deals!!

If the foundation is in good integrity and the house isn't tilting I buy it.

Having said that, working with a reliable turn key company with strong ethics and integrity is a must if you decide to go this route.

On your first property doing a rehab, it's going to be difficult to have a contractor that you can trust and rely on since you may not be aware of their work integrity.