I’m a super independent person (arguably to a fault), and having full control over my offers and the agent’s side of things I believe would work well for me.

Don't allow financing or a finance contingency (it can be a good indication they are selling above market value) Don't allow for your own independent property inspection Are not realistic with their pro forma's (i.e. they don't include vacancy or maintenance projections or use unrealistically low vacancy factors) Require you to pay for any renovation upfront Sell only in cheap. low end neighborhoods Don't accurately represent the neighborhood/property classification Don't have consistent rehab standards for all properties Don't provide a scope of work for the property Can't provide references of repeat investors

. -- they  have to be independent leases, managed independently. 

Hasn't Oregon declared itself independent from the US and its tax laws?

., the Company is fully distributed independent of COVID-19 circumstances).

I was told to go to the Water Board to see if they would be willing to share some costs but would it make sense to work with someone independently? 

Then you would rewrite it back to a dwelling fire policy (if you go back to the same carrier make sure they adjust the Replacement Cost to the new value after the Reno),  If your current Agent can not get you this type of policy, look to Independent Agents with multiple companies and that write commercial insurance.  

My husband has an S-Corp that he used for his previous work as an independent contractor (non-real estate related).

Most (and I know you mentioned you work for Redfin so this might be different) real estate agents are 1099 independent contractors... and when you apply for a mortgage with this type of income, they take the ADJUSTED gross income on your last TWO years of tax returns, average it together, and then use that to fill in the "income" box on your mortgage application. 

Ultimately I plan on investing in RE using mainly rentals and the occasional BRRRRs (if I can find them) to become financially independent and transition to a job I have more passion for.