I am employed full time at an Engineering firm and plan to purchase rentals as a way to subsidize my income when the time comes for a simiretirement.

My background is in engineering, and I still have my 40 hr / week job working as a systems and software engineer.

If it's been on the market that long I'd be curious as to why other investors haven't swooped it up, even for all cash.The agent isn't going away so I wouldn't burn that bridge by trying to go around them.

If you have some $30k "pigs" in the midwest and they burned to the ground, it'd cost more to rebuild them than they'd ever be worth.

I would ask my dad about lifting the trust but I was burned about 15 years ago when my grandmother gave me about $90,000 to buy a house which I did in Kansas City.  

My profession is engineering with a hobby in real estate.  

@Joe McCallJoe McCall makes the most senseThe "wholesalers only" people hate getting licensed, I don't know why but they doThe transaction engineers that can "think outside the box" and offer the seller several solutions, whether it be a lease option, lease purchase, lease with ROFR, subject to existing financing, wraparound mortgage purchase, installment sale on free and clear house, etcYou can always get a traditional listing tooAnd a word about finding the right broker if you're a transactional engineerThe traditional brokerage houses like Remax, KW, Caldwell banker, and the restThese folks want to take sales people and control their activity completelyYou would do a lot better to be able to get your sales license hung with a brokerage that would take a flat fee for your deals and comply with your state lawsRemember, the broker is liable for your businessSo be completely transparent in your dealsMy advice to you if you're licensed and you want to do your own deals Say to home sellers:"I am a licensed agent, I am not acting as an agent in this transaction and I am acting as a private business person"The home sellers sign a release that they understand that

Hello BP Members,We are Northwest Structural Renovations we offer rehab, remodeling and new construction services to Washington and parts of Oregon to investors, banks, homeowners, etc.Our family has been in the planning, engineering, architecture and construction industry for well over four generations.We plan to buy, fix and flip properties and also buy, fix and hold nightly vacation rentals and monthly rentals.We would love to hear what people have to say about the hottest areas in Washington and Oregon for our ventures and also any recommendations anyone has.

I'm a software engineer by trade. 

Or combine it with some land divisions and value adds it can be pretty neat returns.. and as passive as they get.. the only threat of course is fire and other than the Tillamook burn back in the early 50's forest fires on the WEst slope and in the coastal mountains are rare.