You should read Gary Keller's book the Millionaire Real Estate Agent if you want to practice agency.

We were going to have a formal inspection done before making an offer just to be crystal-clear on what we would be dealing with, but the realtor suggested we save some time and money by having a contractor take a look to help us determine the repairs required, and subsequently how much we should offer.Is this pretty standard practice as far as "due diligence" goes? 

A little about me/Current location: Lahaina, Maui Previous home: San DiegoProfession: Digital Marketer (working remote with my dog Richard)Why I'm here: challenge myself to create new revenue stream alongside my 9-5  & invest in my first multifamily or condo rental by the end of 2019Sincerely looking forward to skipping through the forums to learn from first-timers, best practices, ouch moments and meet like-minded people (like you)!

I planned for a cosmetic rehab and ended up practically building a new house.

I planned for a cosmetic rehab and ended up practically building a new house.

I planned for a cosmetic rehab and ended up practically building a new house.

Honesty, consistency and transparently with you tenants is always best. 

I started and I'm doing 2 deals a month consistently.

We've been consistently paying down these cards (never a late payment) for a little while, and if we decide to refi-cash-out we'll be reducing our monthly out-of-pocket expenses by 1000-1100+ possibly even more (even after the increase in our mortgage payment), so I totally hear what you're saying, I'm just not concerned about not being able to pay the payment.

They're not going to want to give you the good deals at first unless you can somehow convince them that you're a closer, but a consistent effort with some patience will have you getting deals thrown at you left and right :)