Right.I think you are attempting to determine the absorption rate and months of existing housing stock right?

I have attempted to find other ways of living a little cheaper to no avail (e.g. contacting bishops from my church who potentially had ideas where members could house my family for cheaper).Keep in mind that I will be paying my mortgage with the student loan money I receive, NOT rent if I happen to buy a house.

In our attempt to recoup our original investment he needed 85k of rehab $$$ again.

hey good for you for attempting the affordable living space in hawaii. try it all, get grants for what you can, get agency debt for the chunk and raise private for the remainder

Not a large rip-off attempt by any means; but a reminder that Scammers are everywhere!

It's an intelligent plan to deep dive into learning everything you can on investing before attempting that big rental unit.

I'm proud of you for getting your finances in order before attempting to invest.

I have no intention on letting this corrupt agent and seller ride off into the sunset and attempt to rip off the next guy. 

Would a broker see any potential conflicts of interest or issues with me working as an appraiser (commercial) and attempting to become an agent?

So much more difficult educating yourself and attempting to find your first property when you have a family!