I trust him and believe this to be a good thing but our mentoring relationship is quite new.

It's critical as an out of state investor to build a team that you trust to advise you

I'm working on finding my first deal in Atlanta and could really use the advice of a trusted contractor.

On a high level, I can tell you that talking to a lender is a great first step (can get you referrals if you need them) because they can help you lock down on your financing and/or build out a plan for where your financing needs to be.

So if the fixed minimum is 95% of a current FHA appraisal - then the list price for this house is probably be set at this level?

I really need a number I can trust and not fudged like you said.

These are often called portfolio lenders because they keep their deals in-house and only have to get it to pass muster with the bank's board of directors (BOD), or some long-term, trusted loan officers have a limit up to which they can approve loans without consulting the BOD. 

Most of an agent's business comes from referrals and what better/easier way to start your career than to have someone who already knows/trusts you as a client?

If you trust the person who is taking care of the heater, ask if there are signs of tampering, damage, etc.

The closer the number is to 100% the better.The more people resist providing information, the less you can trust what they have provided.