A friend of mine in Arlington is paving the way (SFR -> duplex) and I'm sure our politicians in Alexandria will use his experience as precedent.

Also,let me know which part of town you are in and I'd be happy to recommend some reliable & investor friendly contractors!

These are typically individuals or private groups.

Quite often with my knowledge.I myself currently understand that the better the job I do negotiating on a property in putting a transaction together, the greater my return will be.This needs to be understood, and throw out the numbers.A friend of mine recently made $100,000 in five weeks.

My question is, what are the basics that should be expected from an investor-friendly agent?

Your best bet may be to find an individual to partner with who has the cash.

I believe that my associate is a trustworthy individual, but some of the numbers that he throws out are hard for me to believe.

My experience is that if you stay in states where they are landlord friendly, squatters aren't a big concern. as an example.

If you want to be closer to LA, there are some cities close by that are still STR friendly, but they are quickly going away. 

I had a conversation not that long ago with a friend who I've known since high school.