This seems to waste a lot of money on attorney fees even before we start the investment.

@Terry Koepp You'll want to look into and understand UBIT (unrealted Business Income Tax) and how it will effect your investment.  

Keep in mind some things won't show themselves for awhile, a house usually gives up most of it's ghosts in a 1 year cycle, this allows it to go through the seasonal changes of moisture, expansion and contraction and tear itself apart where it needs to, tile floors will show cracked grout within a year, letting you know they weren't installed with proper underlayments, drywall will crack at doors and windows showing the house movement do to soil getting wet and drying out where it shouldn't, the basement will get wet showing you where the freeze thaw is effecting it, paint in bathrooms will show mold in a year showing you that the flipper didn't vent exhaust fans properly and the list will go on and on... 

So how do I figure out which ones will have a higher probability of going to a 3rd party bidder so as not to waste a bunch of time?

So, I guess what I should be asking at this point is how to structure a deal with a realtor where I am able to search on my own for homes, so they don't need to waste their time, and once I find a property have them submit offers for me. 

We don't have wasted time at useless meetings.  

If I split the water line how would it effect if work needed to done on the water line connecting to the back house?

Questions #3 - Is there any do or don't advice you could inform me of that would better help me educate myself on how to go about this without wasting time and money on areas that may not be beneficial or helpful?

@Chase LondonHe might want to know you have the means to buy the property so that he is not wasting his time with you and/or quite possibly he was asked for POF.

right now I drive an old car. 1999, It was my first beater .Right now I'm saving to get enough money to put into my business / save enough to get a hard money lender and do a deal....Even though people say they don't judge , I'm curious how much of an effect a car has on a listing appointment .