His post high school plans the last couple of years was to get his real estate agent license, with the ultimate goal of investing.

The biggest advantage of having a good buyers agent to me is the comps they know to better value your potential property, the digital offer PSA and connections to a good inspector and lender. 

Carpet has never, with one exception, been able to last longer than one tenant for me.

In my state, TN, the law states that if you do not have a forwarding address, you are to mail the accounting of their deposit to the last known address and if it is not received there the extra deposit, if any, is to be forwarded to the state unclaimed money program. 

Lastly, if I get an agent first, can you ask a lender to preform a soft credit check instead of a hard credit check to get a ball park idea of how much you can afford?

Looking forward to connect and I'm offering my help as well to anybody that need it.

You may also be able to connect with a local hard money lender to fund your rehab.For my clients who have exhausted those options, I recommend pursuing a refinance-rehab loan that could give you some cash-out to get started, while also funding your whole budget to be held in escrow.

Happy to connect and answer any questions you have!

I'm trying to find something more durable than carpet (seems to only last a few years) and am turned off by pricing on vinyl plank.

Once you’ve established a connection and if the conversation flows naturally, you can gauge if it’s the right time to bring up your interest in buying the home.