I learned a great deal about how things work here in my county, and I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. 

I assume it's because he doesn't want me to see what number he agreed to with the owner but I also believe that without a purchase price the contract he sent me is not valid which makes the assignment void and therefore doesn't give me any right to buy the property.In my understanding a contract has to clearly state what's being exchanged or traded for what. 

Suggest you talk to these trades for your concerns.  

In fact, I try to to have three guys for every trade, and event that is sometimes not enough! 

They are choosing to use your rent money for other things, it's your job to enforce your lease to the letter, otherwise it is just a piece of paper with no real consequences. 

I took a few real estate and stock trading classes when I first got started.

You know, that place of which Barack Obama once said: ""They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Wouldn't you just be trading one problem for another.

I am in Interior Designer by trade and have been interested in getting into real estate investing.

The "seller" buys from the source, sells it to the end buyer.The stock market has its "option trading", where you can sell a stock, and not have bought it yet.I have never, in my 25+ years of using this method, ever had anyone attempt to legally call me on this...and that includes HUD, Banks, Fannie, etc...who knew what was going on as it happened.The LLC makes the offer, gets the offer accepted, and the Wholesaler sells the LLC to the buyer.