You can keep reading books or be the Agents boss and sit on your high chair.

It takes a lot of research on a property and if you reduce someones leg work by doing a lot of it for them, you're likely to get repeat buyers and as a birddog, that's essential.The next thing is knowing what types of deals abound in your area and being the first to them.

Many of our guests are from Canada, so we get dinged extra for the foreign transactions.HOA = $477/ month = $1988/yr (Cable TV and Internet included)Utilities = $5,724 (Electric, Water and Sewer)Supplies = $580 (New Towels, new beach chairs, extra bedding, other small items)Taxes = $2,060 (Maui actually has lower property taxes than you would think)Insurance = $301/ yr (HOA covers insurance, we added liability and umbrella)Hope these numbers give you an idea of what to expect.

I know I can invest in creativity rather than money as long as I'm willing to do the leg work.

I know that this leaves less room for profit and head ache than a fix and flip, but as a veteran and a military spouse in a high military population, I want to provide those families with equity since at any moment they can get orders, and I hate seeing people I know pay an arm and a leg to sell their house because they didn't have an equity in their home.

If it were me, I’d quietly bow out with my tail between my legs and disappear.

Make sure you have a nice comfy chair there in Cali you can sit in about 8 months from now and ponder how you lost it all... 

Since you seem to have neglected that obligation, the seller may very well have a leg to stand on in regards to their request.This may need to go to mediation to sort out.

The 1st floor commercial tenant alerted me that water from the ceiling leaked all over their computer/printer/desk/chairs. 

I find some courthouses look at me like I'm a criminal trying to do some dirty work and waste their time while other smaller places ask me if my chair is comfy enough.