Try 4 at a time, see the feedback you get and go from there.

I can no longer see the horizon, but my sails are full and the ocean seems to be smooth ahead.

Join their facebook group to see how people are doing and see the support.affinity nmls exam study group

If I see the listing sit forever, price drop after price drop, I know there is something off about the place.

Not sure about your state, but I often see the sellers agent pick the title company once an offer is accepted.

So I am not sure what I did differently, but I followed the link in the email for the podcast and this time it opened in zoom, there I could actually see the chat box!

Ask the realtor to call the listing agent and see the sellers motivation.

The best thing to do in these scenarios would be to find reputable investors and see what they did that worked with their investment property as well as see the mistakes they made during their process, if their situation fits closely with your own. 

@Michael LyonsDo you see the value of the home further appreciating in the next three years?

Sometime, negotiations doesn't go our way, but we always have to look at the exit strategy, to see the big picture.