When you are new, you can be your worst enemy (due to lack of knowledge, ego, and FOMO).If you are new, do you have a person who tells you that some deals suck?

It will all depend on what your goals are.Ask them questions that will help you determine whether they have the value/knowledge that you'll need to get closer to your goals.

I recommend you go visit a few times to network with local investors or find an investor friendly agent so you can gain local market knowledge, find off market deals and for things such as showings, picture taking or getting accurate comps.

Unless you have time, desire and knowledge, hiring a property manager sounds like the right option.

As a business, a judge will expect YOU to know all the laws and legal procedures.Make a minor mistake and the judge is unlikely to give you a break and may rule in the tenant's favor.The judge will see the tenant as a consumer and may give them a lot of leeway in court, even give them borderline legal advice.You are in over your head, not having the knowledge to properly handle this.

What little trust I had in the seller disappeared during this process.Now, three days after finalizing all that, I get a text from my agent that they have assigned a street address.

The experience/knowledge of being an agent will help you so much.  

Lastly, your $8K and market knowledge could be a great start to a partnership with someone who has more funds but less time & knowledge...

A Seller financing agreement possibly may not even contain the DOS depending on if an knowledgeable attorney was involved. 

A nurse on a six-month hospital assignment isn't going to want the hassle of setting up a utility account.