You asked for the Minnesota perspective, here it is (I've been a Broker in Minnesota since 1992):MLS, Realtor Associations, are expensive as noted previously, and finding a broker that isn't too expensive is more difficult than you may think (I have been told "hidden" fees brokers charge to agents are common).The other cons of getting a license:1.

Its quite common for small units to not have washers and dryers.  

Hi Evander,A very common strategy is for investors to purchase one property every year or two as an owner occupied purchase.

My impression is such deals would be a rare find anywhere in today's market, but if anyone can suggest some places where those deals are still common, I would be very grateful.

@Gautam Venkatesan that's a common misunderstanding.  

I'm assuming this is a very common problem?

If you're new to investing, you can listen to the potential of pitfalls of investing.

While it is more common for a realtor to be paid a commission from the selling side of the transaction, it's perfectly legal to have the buyer pay for the realtor's service; it just depends on what's in the contract.  

These are possible, but not common.  

This has been a common practice for many homes lately.