The agent "worked" for 2 hours at the most including drive time to the closing.

And $5,000 poorer.Over the course of our relationship, we barely used 10 hours of their time, including the onboarding, the meetings and email communication.

I read an article in Forbes that talked about how certain areas can transform quickly if the fundamentals line up.

Brokers acting as paper pushers and contract writers will obviously charge alot less than a broker taking on all responsibilities including marketing. 

Sellers often favor buyers who can make larger down payments, as it indicates stronger financial backing and reduces the risk of the deal falling through due to financing issues.Additionally, SFH properties are more accessible to a wider range of buyers, including first-time homebuyers and families, which can lead to less direct competition from institutional investors.

I know of no RE investor that had RE before the crash that did not exit that would agree with your statement including this investor.  

My application includes an acknowledgment that everything is true and complete.

I'm a broker in 18 states, and none that I can think of require Disclosure of repaired issues, including NC.

However I have done them in multiple States including Pennsylvania and South Carolina, and what I can say is that it is a tool in your tool belt. when you come across a deal that makes sense to make this type of offer you can do it. the laws in your state make it difficult for you to do these types of deals I suggest either don't do them or pick a virtual market in which you can do these types of deals.

Quote from @Owen Rosen: Quote from @Rod Hanks: It’s a good idea to have the insurance policy include both the tenant’s name and yours as additional insured.