I can’t afford to do that.

Its a lot of work for the agent, but we use him so much and he gets a lot of commissions from us that he knows we are worth it.If you are earnestly looking to buy and you know you will pull the trigger if you find the right deal a good agent will understand and not get frustrated.

If you go about an hour West, the housing gets a lot more affordable. 

I'm hoping this spring brings an uptick in supply because its been pretty frustrating as a buyer this past year!

If you can afford it, invest in your sales training and education.  

  - Risk to buyer: HOA balance is high and seller can not afford it (planing to rent the property in order to pay - transaction canceled. seller loose construction money- Risk to buyer: if finance and loan can't close or property didn't get appraised. - Risk to seller: contractor injure & will sue owner on record- Risk to seller: Contractor cause an error with plumbing or electric - can be costly to  seller since until the deed not signed - property still belong to seller and buyer can just loose escrow. 

Edward, if your desire is to hold onto the land (or a vacant property) & you can afford to do that without receiving cashflow, then it might be a good investment.  

We hardly have hard cash on us at the moment so this is a little frustrating. 

If it helps, I've been in my current job 3 1/2 years (and hate it), earn about 43k per year, I pay $900 monthly rent now and don't think I can afford to pay more than that without other source of income, also loan would be only myself and my credit is in the 690's.My priority now is quitting my 9-5 job, but this end of lease is making me question what is the right next step for me.Any advise, comments and guidance is greatly appreciated!!

If you do and have the capital to do afford it I do not see why you shouldn't start with fix and flips.