And a deal in my opinion is one that will 1. pay for itself(All property expenses) and 2. pay the debt service(if necessary) and 3. put money into my pocket each month.  

The agent will not be paying you/seller/buyer because the agent does not bring money to the seller/buyer in any fashion in a transaction (typical transactions), unless this agent is a partner to that person buying the property, or they are a principal to the property.Let me know if that makes sense. 

Here's the deal:Purchase Price (PP): $95kRenovation Budget (via HML): $60kTotal All-In Cost: $155kARV (After Repair Value): Around $200kRefinance (via DSCR Loan): 7% interest, 30-year fixedRefinance Details: After the refi, I will pay back the Hard Money Loan (HML) at 11.95% with 3 points:HML: $60,000Interest/fees: $3,585Other costs: $1,800Total to pay back HML: $65,385After the refi, I will have $84,615 left in cash.Cash Flow & Expenses:Expected Rent Income: $1,700/monthProperty Management (PM): $126/monthInsurance: $100/monthTaxes: $126/monthMortgage: $1,043.75/monthTotal Expenses: $1,395.75/monthSo my monthly cash flow is about:$1,700 - $1,395.75 = $304.25/month in cash flow.Return on Investment:Cash Invested After Refi: About $18,385 (after paying off HML and closing costs).Annual Cash Flow: $304.25 * 12 = $3,651Cash-on-Cash Return (CoC): $3,651 / $18,385 = 19.8%I didn’t account for maintenance costs since it’s a full gut rehab, and everything is brand new.

It allows the investor to put their money to work in two places at one time.

They have given rent to retirement builders money and will never see it again.

Or can he be just a silent partner with his money and I have a separate agreement (legally drafted of course) without him on the loan, credit, insurance policy etc.  

Never built in Houston before so take my feedback with a grain of salt but I'd put money on it being impossible to build a duplex from scratch for $125 a foot (including everything from drawings, engineering, permit fees, general conditions, labor, material, landscaping).Out here in AZ the builder cost is going to be $200 a foot at best, but add 20% on top of that for the client cost.

Do it yourself with TurboTax (or similar software)If your rental is pretty simple (one property, basic income & expenses), you can learn the basics and still save money.

Money was deposited into my account the day after checkout.

Liquidity is important if this is money you plan to put to work in the near term.