With prices escalating so much I'm not sure if it's still a smart move to buy.

Court ordered appraisals are characterized by no underwriter questioning everything, no Realtors calling them idiots if they don't hit value, no appraisal management company taking a middle-man cut of the appraisal fee and shopping around for fastest/cheapest report.

The smart thing to do on your end is take a lot of pictures and/or a video documenting the condition of the property.

I'm all for supporting and shopping local but sometimes it isn't always the best option. 

I would do a little shopping around not all lenders are the same.

Hey Bigger Pockets fam,I am a new investor just starting out and trying to network while also attempting to build my rockstar team.I was wondering if it would be smart to take someone who is motivated and kind of train him into what I'm seeking in a PM when I get to that point?

( since he is very smart, liar and good in playing these games, I want to be on safer side) please suggest

When I added up the time spent and money made and divided it between my business (auto service and repair shops) and the real estate I bought and build to house the business it came out like this:  80% of my time was spend on the business and 20% on the real estate, but 80% of my profits came from the real estate and 20% from the business.  

I was shopping for banks for months, but no loan officers would do the loans and I couldn't find a single lender that was doing portfolio loans. 

All you can do is make smart moves and buy cash flowing assets in working class areas.