I wound up hiring someone else anyway.

I'd like to talk to people who have wound up on one side or the other of a non-disclosure.

He also never paid his supplier, who wound up liening all three properties for a total of $36k.

We had intended to relocate to Baltimore and found the rental while looking for a primary residence but then wound up being unable to move.  

The market crashes & the big boasters lose their shirts, & slink away to lick their wounds.

Everyone has already pointed out your mistakes so I won't poor salt in your wound but will remind you of the other advice that in most cases, these jerks ARE licensed and you DO have recourse!

The great recession, or ==the even greater, real estate depression==  of 2008-2010 was the biggest real estate failure, probably of our lifetimes.But the cause of this was really a broken lending system, that wounded itself by writing poor quality mortgages.

If you think you are a humanitarian then donate to wounded warriors. 

If it doesn't work out, you lick your wounds and move on to another neighborhood or strategy. 

If not documented properly, and it wound up in court, you could end up having to repay all the money they paid, plus other damages, attorney fees, etc.