My goal is to be able to travel while designing killer deals for good people.

Sandy,Firstly, It depends on the risk you are comfortable taking.

The "personal gain" for your Realtor in introducing you to a preferred lending partner is likely to be limited to transaction comfort and accessibility  as well as referrals to other buyers/sellers. 

I want to build a comfort and trust level that will serve us both and have us work as a team to find and close on the best deals.

By the time my 5 year balloon comes due I will be at 20% to 25% equity ownership ensuring I will be in a comfortable position to refinance.

Are you comfortable with your current agent?  

Has your Architect designed any other homes that have sold on a similar sized lot that was split up? 

Last year a couple had a for sale sign on a duplex, when I questioned them about owner financing they were hesitant, but comfortable enough with it.

Now I'm selling nearly 100 houses each year plus several of my own restoration projects and have been ranked among the top 50 Realtors in MN out of more than 20,000 four years running for number of homes sold, but it took a lot of thinking positive, hard work and getting out of my comfort zone.

Would you be comfortable investing out of state or are you trying to stay local?