I have spent 2 weeks, and don't want to waste time there anymore.My question is if I start shopping around and find a good agent from statefarm, will he/she help me as new customer?

Located on a quiet all-townhouse street, yet within a few minute's walk of public transportation, shopping, parks and nightlife.

You would get a home under contract with a small deposit and then shop it among the dozen plus builders working in town.Now the disclaimer. 

Shop around, I'm sure other lenders are less picky about that.  

What is a realistic price range for us to be shopping in?  

Do you think 5.50% is a good interest rate or should I shop around for a lower rate?

or bad (if you bought those SFH at the peak in a sub-market like so many cities in the US today, you're underwater still).Not to say you can't achieve diversification with RE as well (i.e buy a REIT); to me, for pure income / cash flow, that's my preferred direction (buy a REIT; I get good diversification, it's property managed, I don't have to worry about maintenance or repairs or whatever else; just a solid cash flow / income stream in the asset class (apartments, shopping malls, whatever else) that I choose).For appreciation though, I think of RE like picking individual stocks or a business to buy; if you have the time, the skills, and the patience - you can make outsized gains compared to the overall market.

I shopped around for a long time and sat through several live and online sales pitches for months before I found someone who was legit and genuinely interested in my success rather than just hype.

Can ZeneHome actually be my mortgage/insurance broker and automatically shop the market for better rates?

You just have to shop around.