*Goes without saying, but this answer doesn't create an attorney-client relationship.

In my area it would be more like 350-400k, which I imagine is less palatable to banks.Curious if you have advise or tips for building a relationship with the bank. 

Our relationship is important to me and over the year or so he’s been working for us we kind of know what things should cost.

The seller was renting to his daughter and they had a volatile relationship.

Relationships matter and if they know your strategy will be able to execute more quickly and offer options when there are challenges.

I want an agent that knows the area well so I can buy the property right and start an ongoing relationship with a local lender.

What I wrote above does not create an attorney/client relationship between us.

We have built a very strong track record with our bank and we have a great relationship with them so they financed the purchase and the rehab costs as a construction loan.

So its something to cherish and remember that Stress can be a killer, it almost took me back in the cash for keys days, but we did what we had to, make lots of great relationships and did our own deals to keep it all going. 

You must have very good systems and relationships in place to have never seen one property.