The house was rehabbed with good quality materials and overall looks great but should I be worried with unpermitted modifications?

There's a home owners association and condo association that pretty much manage and take care of everything on the outside of the building and common areas.

I am looking for distressed properties like hoarder houses or someone who wants to sell off-market quickly.

Purchase price: $1,425,000 Cash invested: $400,000 Value add and a house hack!

@Russell Brazil is right (and that's about when I bought my first house at 18% :-)The numbers will always work - or never work, it just depends on which property you choose to purchase and where it is.

I'm now trying to put my dreams into practice as the kids are aging out of the house. 

The pet owners understand (and it is one less deposit to account for).

Turned out to be a very strong housing market with limited Custom Luxury Home Builds How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

Under the current system the commissions are just rolled into the price.The problem will be when an independent buyer wants to see a house but won’t sign a buyer’s agent contract because he doesn’t need an agent.  

I have settled on the house hacking strategy, but regardless of the investment strategy, should I get pre-approved first and then find an agent, or vice versa?