I pay them a monthly fee and a listing fee so they stay out of my business.

Once that's done, get to listening to the free BiggerPockets Podcast - A really great podcast with interviews and a ton of great advice.

Last builder I worked for closed up shop and a left me to fend for myself.

HelloI'm trying to urgently put together a comparison and a temperature check for the average 25-year mortgage rates available in the SF Bay Area.

Less competition and a greater chance of negotiating a price.  

I can't even imagine how many levels of complexity real estate investing has, which is where the intimidating part comes in. I

You might have to find a small type catch all brokerage that dabbles in residential and small time commercial.These types of firms do residential and a few land sales and occasionally a small gas station or inherited type small building commercial.For the experts that only do one asset class the small deals like this do not make sense as they typically have a lot of (hair) on the deal meaning many issues to work through.

The good have been well behaved, quiet, and a positive experience in the unit.  

Presenting my plans would be much better than trying to explain the whole non-traditional investing process.Good thing that came from our meeting is that he and a few other doctors are looking to buy about 10-20 homes to use as group homes.

Since then we have replaced a furnace and a water heater, other maintenance has been minimal.