Your best bet is to use an agent, but sign an agreement with them agreeing to pay their commission.

I plan on keeping it forever as a rental so I didn't care.I can clean up the title later if I choose to.Exactly until you get a title report  or prelim title report or title commitment whatever moniker they use there.. its just all guessing that title is clouded.. plus a recorded purchase from 2 or 3 years ago.. i bet will easily be removed by a new insurer.  

Those abandoned spaces are going to need to be probably totally repaired to make them safe to use, and you're right that 11 lots is not going to give you much scale.

you are absolutely right and sorry if i came off offensive... i am a consumer and have had the same exact experiences. agents who put you on set it and forget it through their portals which will narrow down properties based on area and other general details and never contact you again unless you call them and there are agents who will go look at properties for you because you are stuck at work gather all information and give you advice to continue to examine or list 25 negatives to talk you off your emotional impulse buy. it took a few agents before i found one who doesnt mind to work for their commission and i will use him on every deal within his license jurisdiction.you cant expect a consumer to be happy to work with someone who just goes through the motions because they've been in the RE space for 20 years.. much rather give a recent college grad with some motivation the business.you sound successful and i am willing to bet its not because you set it and forget with you clients and you actually work. god bless

I've found that will get you close, but if the basement is super nice, all bets are off.

My bet is your lender is telling you there is no up-front cost because the expenses will be added to your loan. 

Safe to say that I’m a fan, hahahaSo now after reading so much info I decided that my best first course of action would be to stop paying rent and doing a house hack with a 2-4 family house in my area.

Be vigilant with your comps and Bigger Pockets Calculators.As a realtor, its very discouraging to working in Hamilton as the commissions % are lower and the prices garner peanuts compared to everywhere else, but as an investor, my money there is safe, even during market turbulence. 

So they're playing it safe. 

The funds never hit the landlord's account, and should the landlord ever go bankrupt the tenant's money is safe because it's in the tenant's name, after all.