You might want to do an online search for brokerages in your area that offer larger commission splits or a flat fee to their agents. 

She suggested a much lower price than I would have thought of offering, and the bank took it.

We came in low with our offer, but were willing to skip the inspection (which had already been completed before we offered) and stipulated that we would close in 20 days, which was super valuable to the seller.

They are all very responsive and they all offer various loan programs. 

Your title, “new to real estate” may offer a key.  

The last one on this offering was in 1/19/22.Thus this begs the question, should they have been raising money in 2023 without a qualified offering?

My plan is to build along the same type of home, but of course with some of my design inputs.I want to get a really solid foundation before any actual building happens and I would truly appreciate any advice that anyone has to offer of some preliminary items I should know and take care of beforehand.

Agricultural land and residential development lots both offer strong, time-tested returns, especially in growing markets.I’d love to hear more about your experience with subdividing—what challenges have you run into, and how do you determine when it makes more sense to hold versus sell off portions?

Unless you are someone who is going to take advantage of the leverage offered in an FHA loan, I am generally in favor of purchasing investment real estate in an LLC.  

Thinking of offering seller financing deal to him.