It would be a red flag to me if the agent could not provide a licencence and references.

Another red flag we encountered were those that said "we have to have another place by ..."

I am thinking that I would be smart to take my gains and either re-invest them into a better long term market (currently in Redding, CA).

When you take that same metric and try to get 2% you end up square in the Hood in most of the big cities people would consider investing in..

There are going to be all kinds of possible red flags that pop up that way.If you're going to invest in real estate with it, then just have him keep his own money in his own account and then lend the money to you on on the deals.

I would not pay a red cent.No legal advice express or implied.

The two little breaker buttons are white instead of black and red.

I did that when I was first starting and they spent tons of time with me explaining things, going over my operating agreement for my LLC, pointing out red flags etc.  

If there are other properties for rent in that neighborhood; call the number and ask how much, square footage, # of beds and baths, condition etc...

Age of home, square footage, proximity, date sold, lot size, then a little guessing.