I definitely appreciate working with strong, bold and aggressive people who look after my well being- especially when they make things easier for me.

My first suggestion is to ask your lender, they often have strong relationships with several agents and won’t likely recommend someone they don’t trust.

Sounds like you have done the smart thing by cutting the fat off the bones and are concentrating on the bare essentials. 

It's tricky to figure out if the odor is coming from a couple spots strongly or just everywhere.

That strongly increases the likelihood that you will overpay, especially given how hot the market is now.Also, in the US, a great real estate agent can/will help you with the legal documentation.

There is however a strong chance this post will be deleted.

If you have a strong credit and your debt-to-income less or around 40% you should be good.

Nova Scotia continues to be a strong place for my investment dollars.  

I would strongly advise against saying you are going to live in the property with your VA when you actually have no intention of living there.

As long as its in the budget I would strongly recommend paying yourself.