It is great joining this network and let me know if you or somebody you know operates in Burien or the greater Seattle area.  

Sounds to me like the landlord is being responsible if they legitimately cannot afford the necessary repairs at this time.  

And if you don't know yet, that's okay.Have you joined any of the local REI groups?

Since I joined them real estate is more popular now than it was 19 months ago.

Nothing really concrete as to what brokerage to join.  

I just joined Baltimore Multifamily Real Estate Investing Group and Real Estate Inventing Incubator. 

Valley Central Bank, COPFU credit union if you can join, I have heard of even Huntington doing these loans.

It's great for the startups and the resources have to be great for the companies to join.

All that being said, the standard BiggerPockets.com mantra is that equity represents lost money and opportunity cost, there are plenty of voices that logically and coherently argue that side of the debate (who will be joining this thread shortly), so by all means weigh all options, figure out what works for you given your particular goals and risk tolerance, and there is no "one size fits all" solution. 

I can also help with vendors, as I joined a local real estate club which provides references to local handyman, contractors, and offers some discounts.I'm looking to connect with there BP members since this forum has been really helpful in my investing.