@Bjorn Ahlblad so you're saying their behavior is ok because the banks may have also engaged in illegal/immoral practices?

It's a bit challenging bc this property is rather unusual for the area, there are many similar properties.

I'm not interested in engaging in a discussion on whether you should or should not choose Cleveland as a place to invest in due to the obvious conflict of interest as well as the fact that convincing people to invest in the market I operate in is not really a big profit producing activity. 

getting the deals is the challenge, once you get a house under contract then it's just connecting the right people.   

Despite tight housing inventory, rising interest rates, and affordability challenges, Austin posted double-digit increases in both single-family home sales (up 13.5% YOY) and sales dollar volume (up 19.8% YOY).

You can engage another PM company to manage the new properties and this will give you a backup/bench player and keep your checks and balances.  

The challenge for me is that - in the short term, at least - I wanted to use the license primarily for my benefit, and not necessarily as a "job". 

Thanks so much, I will definitely keep updating and trying to get more engaged in Bigger Pockets again.

If the property is distressed, it's often challenging to even get a loan from a conventional lender. 

Here are the laws in regards to this stuff.4735.01 [Effective Until 3/20/2019] Real estate broker definitions.As used in this chapter:(A) "Real estate broker" includes any person, partnership, association, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or corporation, foreign or domestic, who for another, whether pursuant to a power of attorney or otherwise, and who for a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration, or with the intention, or in the expectation, or upon the promise of receiving or collecting a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration does any of the following:(1) Sells, exchanges, purchases, rents, or leases, or negotiates the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of any real estate;(2) Offers, attempts, or agrees to negotiate the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of any real estate;(3) Lists, or offers, attempts, or agrees to list, or auctions, or offers, attempts, or agrees to auction, any real estate;(4) Buys or offers to buy, sells or offers to sell, or otherwise deals in options on real estate;(5) Operates, manages, or rents, or offers or attempts to operate, manage, or rent, other than as custodian, caretaker, or janitor, any building or portions of buildings to the public as tenants;(6) Advertises or holds self out as engaged in the business of selling, exchanging, purchasing, renting, or leasing real estate;(7) Directs or assists in the procuring of prospects or the negotiation of any transaction, other than mortgage financing, which does or is calculated to result in the sale, exchange, leasing, or renting of any real estate;(8) Is engaged in the business of charging an advance fee or contracting for collection of a fee in connection with any contract whereby the broker undertakes primarily to promote the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of real estate through its listing in a publication issued primarily for such purpose, or for referral of information concerning such real estate to brokers, or both, except that this division does not apply to a publisher of listings or compilations of sales of real estate by their owners;(9) Collects rental information for purposes of referring prospective tenants to rental units or locations of such units and charges the prospective tenants a fee.