looking longterm who knows what's going to happen in the market.The largest thing to be cautious about is that with commercial tenants you as the owner often have to put up money in the form of a check or abated or free rent to help the tenant get open for business and build out the space. 

Real estate investing/business can result in wealth - just not the way or form the gurus teach! 

If @Drew Sygit doesn't have a local person for you, I have CFO clients in KC, MO that have used this firm: https://propertyvaluationservices.net/services/protest-taxes...

While an LLC can offer liability protection and tax benefits, it’s not essential for a single property—personal liability insurance and an umbrella policy may suffice for now.

Therefore, you don't need to use a 1031 exchange; you can take as long as you wish to find and then buy another property.The only exception is if there is debt on a property, in which case there will be some UBIT (Unrelated Business Income Tax) implications.

My goal is to help people invest in properties and grow my business, but as a beginner, I'd love some advice on getting my foot in the door. 

I personally would revisit your strategy of buying a negative cash flow property in SoCal, right now.

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. 

With that being said, I personally know several people who've had tenants that stop paying their rent and try to hang around for as long as possible. 

Here is a source.https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act...