Don't settle for first person in the door - if you don't feel comfortable with them.Good Luck!   

You're going to need to know if your comfortable with the parameters of what you're actually buying.As for advice, do as much research in your local area.

No matter what though, you have to be able to put in an offer that makes you comfortable and start negotiating on the low end.

I have college students as well and found they are actually very comfortable with self-service showings as a group since they're already born of the Lyft/AirBnB generation already.

Be comfortable, be you...

You have to pick something at your comfort area.

I’ve been doing a ton of research over the last year, and lately, I have felt much more comfortable moving towards the taking-action part of investing.

So I'll apologize if I hurt anyones feelings, but just know "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

At what point should I be comfortable paying for specific tests (including perk and logging income analysis)?

It typically takes years to really establish yourself in the commercial real estate brokerage business, so you'll have be comfortable with that if you choose that route.If money is no object, both will provide good learning experiences.