We wanted to find a location that allowed us to do a large value add without reinventing the market.

Remember, people have been buying and selling homes since long before any of us came along, no reason to reinvent the wheel or fix what isn't broken.

If you find a great broker who knows rentals and investments, you'd be better off benefitting from his expertise than trying to re-invent the wheel.

Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, use it for all it's worth.

Using their knowledge so you do not have to reinvent the wheel and lastly a trained and experienced guide like a Sherpa.

Also, keep up  with programming business of yours  - if you already found a way to make money, don't reinvent the wheel.

Which can be ok but when it comes to basic stuff it's best to learn from people that have made it work and follow that versus reinventing the wheel.

And there are lots of circles already created so you don't need to reinvent the wheel unless you want to.first, do a people search on BP to see how many are in MA and NH - lots.Second, start attending REI events. 

And, really, there's no reason to try to reinvent real estate agent commission structure when the total number of years under your belt as a real estate agent is zero.

I recommend reading this book: The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future.