Any other option short of winning the lotto and buying it?

The SAFE Act has absolutely nothing to do with a requirement to license as a dealer, but it has a lot to do with financing homes without an MLO and a state lending license.

Our realtor was a PM for many years before he was a realtor, I feel that he brings a lot to the table to help us figure out what tenants want/ need/ expect in a rental property.

Welcome to the group, I'm sure you have a lot to contribute and a lot to absorb.

There are numerous multifamily new-build and loft conversions in the Midtown area, home to Wayne State University, the medical center complex and the museums, aimed at filling increased demand (low single-digit vacancy rates here as well).Then there are the suburbs where crime, schools and population decline are not issues.

I've spoken to my tenants numerous times and they seem to think he's singling them out.

I am a little out from actually pulling the trigger on any investing, but I definitly have a lot to learn.

A lot to think about indeed.  

I don't believe most wholesalers work with agents (if a wholesaler can get a deal without an agent, they eliminate the agent's commission from the pricing, significantly lowering the sale price and doing a lot to eliminate the problems with high pricing you mention) and that's why I wasn't "getting" your observations on reputation.

Wow sounds like a lot to take in, I will have to do some more learning.