Good day all. A friend just got his unit appraised in Bahamas for $282,000. Take away closing costs, he’s left with $245,000 in his pocket. He’s offered it to me for $240,000 and i pay all closing costs, 13% on the $2...

What I mean by that is to go well beyond your course and read books, learn some sales skills, learn how attend some REI meetups and meet people, decide how you want to brand yourself and what your specialty will be, etc. 

In Oregon it is my understanding, you have to have a real estate license to trade in real estate owned by someone other than yourself.

Maybe there is a happy middle where I can find a skilled roofer for a descent rate?

Buying at the right price, correctly estimating repair costs, and correctly estimating rent (and eventual sale) comps are completely learnable skills. 

For example, the desire for larger homes with bigger backyards is causing people to increasingly come to the San Fernando Valley from central L.A and for those already in the Valley to trade up in size.

I’m a fast learner with sales experience and good communication skills.

on a multi-million dollar property - or any property - but I've got twenty years of negotiating skills, my lawyering skills, some hustle, and ambition.

Buydown is trading initial cost for the interest rate.If you're planning to hold/live in the property for longer after the point, buydown is the way to go.

Just keep in mind that these structures are more complex and therefore more expensive, so you will be trading $800 tax for a higher cost of setting it all up and possibly some annual compliance costs on top of it.Maybe accept your $800 sacrifice to the Evil Lords of the West Coast as the cost of doing business and focus on increasing your cash flow.