I say no to an agent cause some times they will press you to a more expensive property for the commission involved.  

You really have to understand how this works and there's not enough space here for me to explain it fully, but if you accidentally buy a property at a foreclosure auction where the 2nd position lienholder is foreclosing, you could spend thousands of dollars and still not really own the property.4. 

But the GC accidentally sent me a breakdown of his subs cost associated with the project with his mark up 45% plus a 5% kick back fee to the interior designers that referred him.

Not so much to "take" his knowledge but to learn from him in that you will still use his services but you want to be able to do some of these things in the future when pressed for time.Most questions can be answered by just asking the person.

He is not staying there or paying utilities so he would be hard pressed to claim it as a second home.Probably nothing will happen if he stops treating the property as a rental by not claiming deductions, but what a can of worms could be opened if it goes back to a rental and he is audited.Remember, no good deed goes unpunished.

Without getting a good look inside you'll be hard pressed to know the answer.

I always wait for the comps I need to document the value and compare the risk since appraisals are non refundable so you want to get the highest chance of certainty you can get before you press the "order appraisal button."

They are all I have (except one 'accidental' rental property).

I'm pressing on though.

Great press!