I've been a part of a number of buy/hold deals but got out of real estate after relocating to Indianapolis and starting a family.  

"      I like to say this ,   " Sure , but I would get the kit with the paint by numbers to practice on before you buy a nice canvas "    

I recognize this as standard business practice and don't see why you can't do the same.

Obviously that was indiscreet but all agents want to sell you a property so I wouldn't preclude him just on that basis.I think it's bad practice to rely on any RE agent for rent comps, they are inheiranty biased and likely to highball rent comps in my experiece.  

You can try to push it thru but you run the risk of buyer due diligence opening the wounds and exposing you as the seller for not addressing Which may lead to the buyer questioning other seller practices that may be quality. 

Whether you’re keeping your day job and want passive income or you’ve decided to make this a full-time career, each investment property you own demands time, attention and a lot of practical know how to remain profitable.I have been a successful landlord for over a decade, but it took me several years and quite a few mistakes to learn how to make money with my residential rentals.

I'm basing this on the Wholesale Calculator as I used, practiced few scenarios to see the numbers.Hope this helps out!

I relocated here in GA and after a few years I am ready to get back in it.

Understands real estate well and runs his own practice so he knows what it's like to be a business owner trying to minimize taxes fully.

You'll have some catch up to do regarding learning best practices for landlording and the BP site has a wealth of information for you.