@Vlad-Stefan MarcuYour home will more-than-likely be considered your principal place of residence which will qualify you for the Section 121 exclusion of $250k ($500k if MFJ). 

You had a bad experience with a professional in the real estate industry.

Because you know him so well, I would probably forget the purchase and sale agreement assignment and go straight for an exclusive option to  purchase, which is recordable.  

Account Closed  As someone who has marketed almost exclusively via attorneys and members of the legal community (for 25+ years now) I can tell you that the issue is rarely confidentiality. 

@Justin HerringtonWhile Thorold does not give a maximum occupancy per dwelling unit in a direct manner, it appears to define any building providing lodging to more than four (4) occupants as a boarding house:“boarding house” means a building in which lodging is provided for more than four (4) persons in return for remuneration or for the provision of services or for both and in which the lodging rooms do not have both bathrooms and kitchen facilities for the exclusive use of the individual occupant;In turn, they restrict a rooming house or lodging house (but never marry definitions to that of the boarding house) as follows:Where a dwelling unit contains rooms intended to be used in conjunction with a rooming house or lodging house, the occupants may share a single bathroom provided that: (1) not more than nine (9) persons occupy the dwelling unit; (2) for each additional nine (9) persons or part thereof, there shall be an additional toilet, handwash basin, bathtub or shower; and (3) access to the bathroom can be gained without passing through: (a) a habitable room of another dwelling unit; or (b) an open area, which is not normally heated during the period of the year which heat is required by article 2.22.3 of this by-law.So, it appears to come down to whether boarding houses are permitted where you property is located (and whether they need to be specifically licensed), unless your building would be seen as a non-conforming duplex.This is the question, I believe Thomas was asking.

Check out areas that surround the high priced markets - are any of them poised to see growth / increased industry within 5 - 10 years?  

There are great business forums out there but they are industry specific.Mechanical engineers and fast food franchise owners and medical techs rarely talk to each other or have much in common.Try using www.DogPile.com search engine. 

In Real Estate as in any industry that involves sales you are going to get teasers, people making it seem impossibly good like offering an 8 unit apartment building for $39,000.00 Who would not love to buy at that price but when you call they tell you , " Oh that was a typo and the building is really 1,039,000.00.I have found wholesalers much like most regular real estate agents do not provide accurate ARV, repair figures or potential gains figures, they also will put in a disclaimer that there is not guarantee of accuracy and buyer is responsible to do their own diligence. 

You have to be careful, since some buyer's agreements are written as exclusive, so that any property you find - within the covered time period - would pay a commission to the agent, regardless whether that agent assisted with locating the property.

Upon entry I noticed the master had been used as some sort of industrial storage facility for drugs.