Texans are really proud of their lack of state income tax until we tell them how much our property taxes are. 

An agent would be less prone to turning an offer down in an unethical fashion, since that would place his or her reputation and possibly license in jeopardy, as well as the agency they work for (not to mention financial repercussions).

I'm trying really hard to hone my analyzing skills (or lack thereof), but I'm struggling.

Cheers...Dual agency, buyer isn't represented by another agent.You get the buy and sell side of the commission.No different amount paid by the seller than if another agent brought the buyer, it just all goes to one person instead of 2.  

In my area, a 5 % commission for dual agency is no exception.

What are the pros / cons to using a rental agency (Brown, Harris & Stevens) to list our first rental apartment in NYC?  

But to answer those, I would have to put up a performance and payment bonds from surety agency, not the $12,500 that contractors need to put up when they get the license, what i meant is 100% of the rehab cost, that way, if contractor doesn't perform, you could hire a different contractor and i pay for whatever is rehab cost in the contract. thats an agreement between the owner of the house and contractor.

The other was an agent that I knew but lacked the experience in assignments. 

Should we be able to get financing for this with our apparent lack of experience, but solid credit and 25% down?

More people living downtown --->need more living space, but lack of building space -----> convert office (and some industrial) to living space----> less office space------>more demand for office due to less inventory.